NewYou can listen to Fox News articles now!
U.S. Marine Corps’ unprecedented strike on a cartel-operated ship Venezuela This week shows that the Trump administration is taking a tough new approach when it comes to opposing international drug dealings.
Although the U.S. military has long begun to fight cartels and international gangs in the late 1980s, a strike on Tuesday killed 11 members Tren de Aragua – The Trump administration designated it as a terrorist organization in February – marks a certain shift from previous seizures and arrests.
“The gloves stand out,” said former Venezuela’s former UN diplomat as a dissident in the Nicholas Maduro regime, Isaias Medina, as a dissident in the regime of Nicholas Maduro’s regime, “The gloves stand out.” “Recently, the U.S. Marines’ actions against so-called Tren de Aragua narcotic vessels in Venezuela related to crime against humanity and terrorism in Nalco mark a turning point in the fight against crime against international organizations.”
Video footage shows that the ship was destroyed by Venezuela on September 2, 2025. (@realdonaldtrump via Truth Social)
Maduro claims we seek “governmental change through military threats” in the Caribbean
President Donald Trump Since his first administration, he has made it clear that he strongly opposed the Maduro regime and even announced a $50 million reward, resulting in his arrest and conviction.
Trump’s decision to deploy U.S. troops outside South American countries prompted Maduro to condemn the move on Monday in search of regime change, saying: “Venezuela is facing the biggest threat on our continent in the past 100 years.”
The White House faced some International backwards and questions about what the strike against South American cartels and geopolitics mean for future U.S. policy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Hope to keep records on Wednesday’s trip to Mexico – he is also speaking on cross-border weapons and drug smuggling – and said: “The U.S. president will launch a war against the Nalco terrorist group.”
Rubio argued that previous policies of seizing and arresting “do not work”.
“Because these drug cartels – all they do is they know they’re going to lose 2% of the cargo – they bake it into economics,” he said. “What stops them is when you get rid of them, when you blow them up.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on September 2, 2025 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
US warships patrol international waters when Trump vows to stop cartels
Medina debate Maduro’s Attitudes toward international cartel narcotics quitting smoking The “unwilling or unwilling” attitude opened a window of opportunity for Trump to take action, noting that the Marines followed strict engagement rules when targeting a terrorist organization, believed to be believed to be for the relocation of U.S. drugs
“The Tren de Aragua of Venezuela, supported by Maduro, is like other state-funded terrorist groups, including Iran’s support for Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah, all destroy the region through illegal trade and violence,” Medina said. “Safe ports in international waters are no longer a shelter for traffickers and smugglers.
“This strike has issued a clear warning that these businesses are now facing decisive and strong resistance from the U.S. military and its allies,” he added.
While Maduro suspects that Trump’s final game is a recall of the administration, experts remain skeptical.
The president of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela, held his annual speech on January 15, 2025 at Teatro Teresa Carreno, Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Image))
Click here to get the Fox News app
Although Tuesday’s action was an extension of Trump’s anti-Maduro policy, former National Security Council’s former senior director of Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Cruz said he did not think it would indicate that any major changes are within scope, such as regime changes.
Cruz told Fox News digital numbers, “I can’t imagine that such deployment is specifically a goal.” [Trump] If this result is achieved for some reason, it will definitely win. ”
