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President Donald Trump has secretly authorized military force against Latin American drug cartels designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations, according to reports.
The move, reported by the New York Times, would give U.S. forces permission to engage the cartels, which traffic drugs like fentanyl across the US-Mexico border,
“The president is determined to not just dismantle – but completely destroy – [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere,” a source close to the White House said, the New York Post reported.
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The anti-cartel effort is being coordinated among several departments, including the Department of Defense, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Treasury, the source added.
“President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations,” deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said the U.S. military would not be entering Mexican territory following reports that Washington could take action to combat the cartels.
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“It has nothing to do with Mexican territory,” she said. “It has to do with their country. It does not involve our territory.”
Trump has previously discussed using military force against drug cartels in an effort to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants across the southern border. He has also sanctioned high-ranking members of Cartel del Noreste, one of the most violent drug-trafficking organizations in Mexico and a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Most recently, he has used the threat of tariffs to force Mexico and Canada to actively participate in anti-smuggling efforts.
In relation to Latin American cartels, the administration has also singled out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is wanted by the U.S. On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TdA (Tren de Aragua), Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de Soles) to bring deadly violence to our country,” Bondi said in a video message. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”
Weeks after taking office, the White House announced the extradition of 29 members of various Mexican drug cartels.
“The previous Administration allowed these criminals to run free and commit crimes all over the world. The Trump Administration is declaring these thugs as terrorists, because that is what they are, and demanding justice for the American people,” the White House said at the time.
