U.S. military officials are developing options to combat drug trafficking inside Venezuela, and strikes inside the country could begin within weeks, four sources told NBC News.
The strikes inside Venezuela would be another escalation in the Trump administration’s military campaign against alleged drug targets and its stance toward the Venezuelan government. In recent weeks, the U.S. military has struck at least three ships from Venezuela that were suspected of carrying drugs that could be used to smuggle drugs and threaten Americans, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
The administration has not provided evidence that any of those ships contained drugs. However, an official in the Dominican Republic, as well as another official at the U.S. Embassy there, said at a news conference Sunday that drugs were found in the water after one strike.
Strikes inside Venezuela could come in the next few weeks, but the president has not yet confirmed anything, the four sources said. Two of them and one additional official familiar with the discussions said the recent U.S. military escalation is partly the result of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s failure to do enough to stem the flow of illegal drugs from his country, according to the administration.
The plans under discussion focus primarily on drone strikes against members and leaders of drug trafficking groups, as well as targeting drug labs, the four sources said. When asked for comment, the White House referred to NBC News as the president’s previous statement: “We’ll see what happens. Venezuela is sending us its gang members, its drug dealers, and its drugs. That’s unacceptable.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on the matter.
