"On September 2, U.S. forces struck a vessel in international waters, 11 people, and claimed that it belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang and was laden with narcotics. Just over a week later, Washington unveiled an extensive naval deployment comprised of eight warships, a submarine and thousands of troops and launched a second attack against another alleged smuggling vessel, sending a clear message that the operation is systematic rather than episodic."
"Then, in early October, the administration formally Congress that the United States was in "armed conflict" with regional drug cartels, and promptly followed with another strike off Venezuela's coast, killing four. What began as maritime interdictions has evolved into a strategic escalation - combining naval power, aerial presence, covert action, and legal redefinition of cartels - in what appears to be an intensifying, long-term confrontation."
The United States shifted counternarcotics activity in early September from episodic interdictions to sustained military pressure, striking suspected smuggling vessels and deploying a large naval force. Actions included a September 2 strike on a vessel alleged to belong to the Tren de Aragua gang, a follow-up attack, and the deployment of eight warships, a submarine, and thousands of troops. In early October the administration informed Congress the U.S. was in "armed conflict" with regional drug cartels and carried out another strike that killed four. The approach combines naval, aerial, covert, and legal tools, including foreign terrorist designations, to pursue a long-term confrontation.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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