President Trump has quietly authorized the U.S. military to use force against Latin American drug cartels that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, the New York Post has learned.
The directive marks Trump’s most aggressive move yet in targeting gangs responsible for trafficking drugs like fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border—an area previously handled primarily by federal law enforcement agencies. As first reported by The New York Times on Friday, the order grants U.S. forces formal authority to confront cartel operations both on land and at sea.
“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 State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations involved in drug trafficking includes Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles, along with the El Salvador-based Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13. During his 2024 campaign, President Trump, now 79, openly floated the idea of using the military to target drug cartels operating within Mexico.
Since returning to the office, Trump has increased tariffs on Canada and Mexico, citing their failure to curb drug and human smuggling into the United States. He has also ordered immigration authorities to prioritize enforcement against recent arrivals with suspected gang affiliations.
Trump has also welcomed families affected by gang violence to the White House and pledged to seize cartel assets and redirect them to victims of what he calls “migrant crime.” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in power since 2013, has become a key target of the administration’s crackdown.
On Thursday, the Justice and State Departments announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest on charges of violating U.S. drug trafficking laws. The anti-cartel initiative is being coordinated across multiple agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of the Treasury, according to the source.
“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, per The Post.