Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, during a White House press briefing that any country or group involved in trafficking drugs into the United States could face direct U.S. military attacks.
Kabul 24: Trump stated emphatically, “Anyone who sells this poison to our people will be held accountable.”
Trump revealed that U.S. forces will soon launch ground operations against drug cartels in Latin American countries, in addition to the successful maritime operations in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.
Citing statistics, he noted that drug traffickers killed more than 200,000 Americans last year and added: “With the maritime operations we’ve been conducting for several months, these numbers have dropped sharply.
Now it’s time to execute ground operations as well.” The U.S. President described ground operations as “simpler” than maritime ones, stating that U.S. special forces have fully identified precise drug transit routes, cocaine production facilities—especially in Colombia—and even the residences of cartel leaders.
He warned: “Anyone who brings these drugs into our country will be targeted—no matter which country they’re in.”
In response to reporters’ questions about whether these attacks would be limited to Venezuela, Trump explicitly said: “No, not just Venezuela; it includes everywhere.”
These statements come amid confirmed reports that since September 2025, U.S. naval and special forces have conducted at least 21 operations against drug smuggling boats and submarines, during which at least 83 traffickers were killed and dozens of tons of cocaine and synthetic drugs were seized.
This new approach signals a shift in the U.S. military doctrine on combating the drug crisis, expanding from maritime and aerial operations to direct ground attacks on foreign soil.
