Trump Secretly Orders Military Action Against Latin American Drug Cartels: Report

According to The New York Times, President Donald Trump secretly ordered the U.S. military to target designated Latin American drug cartels — a sharp escalation in his administration’s anti-narcotics strategy. The directive follows a string of recent actions aimed at dismantling international trafficking networks blamed for flooding the United States with fentanyl and other deadly drugs:

The decision to bring the American military into the fight is the most aggressive step so far in the administration’s escalating campaign against the cartels. It signals Mr. Trump’s continued willingness to use military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs.

The order provides an official basis for the possibility of direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil against cartels.

U.S. military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the groups, the people familiar with the conversations said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations.

But directing the military to crack down on the illicit trade also raises legal issues, including whether it would count as “murder” if U.S. forces acting outside of a congressionally authorized armed conflict were to kill civilians — even criminal suspects — who pose no imminent threat.

The administration also doubled the reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — from $25 million to $50 million. U.S. officials accuse Maduro of working with cartels including Mexico’s Sinaloa organization and Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns to move narcotics into the U.S. The Justice Department says roughly 30 tons of cocaine tied to Maduro’s network have been seized, underscoring the scale of the operation.

In January, Trump signed an executive order designating eight Latin American criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), including the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Tren de Aragua. The designation grants U.S. agencies expanded tools to confront these groups, from tougher sanctions to broader legal authority for targeting members and assets.

The FBI has instructed local police to submit the names of individuals tied to the designated organizations for inclusion on the federal terrorist watch list. Supporters say the move empowers law enforcement to disrupt cartel operations inside the U.S., while critics warn it could raise due process concerns and risk government overreach.

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