How Trump’s ‘War on Drugs’ buildup against Venezuela has a hidden agenda

Donald Trump, who has styled himself as a ‘President of Peace’ and aspires to win the Nobel Peace Prize, now turns warmonger at will. He has shown no remorse for bombing Iran or fuelling proxy wars through Israel in Gaza.

His previous military ventures, aimed ostensibly at “stamping out terrorism by wiping out terrorists”, have taken a new turn. Over the past two months, Trump has added another front to his war doctrine—this time, the target is Latin America, the very backyard of the United States.

A New Doctrine for Latin America and the Caribbean

Trump’s new strategy involves the use of American military forces to combat Latin American drug cartels, now designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs). This follows a secret directive reportedly signed by Trump in July 2025, authorising direct military action.

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Gaming the Game

In July, Trump signed an executive order directing the US State Department to classify several Latin American drug cartels as FTOs. The department subsequently designated groups such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Venezuelan Tren de Aragua as terrorist organisations, citing that they pose “a national-security threat beyond that of traditional organised crime”.

Terrorist Number One

By the end of July, Trump’s administration escalated further, adding Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist groups. It also alleged that President Nicolás Maduro himself leads the cartel, effectively declaring him “Terrorist Number One”.

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The US Justice and State Departments followed up by increasing the bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, citing prior indictments related to drug trafficking.

The Secret Directive

Almost concurrently, Trump issued a classified directive to the Pentagon, granting it broad authority to eliminate Latin American “drug cartels” using military force—an unprecedented move, considering that this task has traditionally been within the realm of law enforcement.

Encircled: A Massive Military Build-Up

By August 2025, the US amassed its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the Cold War. Highlights include:

• A major naval task force with eight warships
• Deployment of F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico
• Several Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft and an attack submarine stationed off Venezuela’s coast

Additionally, the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, consisting of the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale (carrying 4,500 sailors), was deployed along with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2,200 Marines) and AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft.

The USS Jason Dunham and USS Gravely, both guided-missile destroyers, moved to southern Caribbean waters, while the USS Sampson docked in Panama. These ships, part of the Arleigh Burke-class, are equipped with over 90 missiles and capable of multi-domain warfare.

Additional assets such as the USS Lake Erie and the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul were also spotted operating in the region.

“Greatest Threat in 100 Years”

The Trump administration claims this military buildup aims to prevent Venezuelan cocaine from reaching the US. However, experts argue that Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking is overstated.

On September 1, President Maduro condemned the US actions, calling it “the greatest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years”.

A Deadly Strike

On September 2, the US conducted a deadly and controversial bombing, sinking a Venezuelan speedboat and killing 11 people. The Pentagon described the attack as part of a “counter-narcotics operation”.

Trump later posted on Truth Social:

“Earlier this morning, on my orders, US military forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists.”

He claimed the strike occurred in international waters as the group was allegedly transporting illegal narcotics to the US.

Whipping the Wrong Horse

Yes, Maduro is no saint. Venezuela’s geography and porous borders make it a transit hub for drug trafficking, some of which likely benefits the ruling elite.

But by concentrating firepower in the Caribbean and singling out Venezuela, the US may be targeting the wrong threat.

A New York Times report (September 3, 2025) revealed that 76 per cent of drug smuggling into the US occurs via the Pacific, not the Caribbean. Venezuela produces little cocaine—the majority comes from Colombia. And when it comes to fentanyl, Venezuela is largely irrelevant—Mexico and Chinese chemicals dominate that pipeline.

A Dangerous Game of One-Upmanship

The bombing is unlikely to be a one-off. Trump made it clear, saying:

“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”

Aerial Escalation

On September 4, Venezuelan F-16s overflew the USS Jason Dunham in a high-stakes aerial confrontation. Two days later, Trump responded by deploying 10 F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico, threatening to shoot down any Venezuelan aircraft that endangered US forces.

From Peace to “Department of War”

Also on September 6, Trump issued an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the “Department of War”. His justification?

“The US had never fought to win a war after World War II, when Congress renamed the Department or War to the Department of Defense.”

Though symbolic—Trump lacks the legal authority to rename federal departments—the move aligns with his increasingly militarised posture.

Even more bizarrely, Trump threatened domestic action, declaring Chicago “about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR”, in a Truth Social post accompanied by helicopter emojis.

War Mongering, Not Peace Making

These actions reveal a Trump more focused on military posturing than actual peace-making—with dangerous consequences for global security.

Legal Grey Zones

Despite branding cartels as FTOs, legal scholars argue there’s no clear authority for using military force against drug traffickers.

On September 8, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited USS Iwo Jima, telling troops they were deployed to the “front lines of a critical mission”—not a training exercise.

A Divided Region

Reactions in Latin America and the Caribbean have been mixed:

• Brazil’s President Lula called the US buildup “dangerously destabilising”
• Mexico warned against violations of sovereignty
• Colombia’s President Petro called the boat strike “murder” and “disproportionate”
• Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised the US strike
• Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa thanked the US for “eliminating terrorist threats”

Meanwhile, human rights groups condemned the strike as an extrajudicial killing, and both Russia and China criticised US actions as unwarranted interference.

What Tomorrow Brings

Even minor skirmishes—maritime or aerial—could spiral out of control, especially with US F-35s facing off against Venezuelan F-16s.

There’s growing speculation that Trump may escalate to full-scale strikes inside Venezuela.

Why Venezuela?

The US-Venezuela relationship has been tense since Hugo Chávez’s rise in 1999. It worsened after:

• Obama’s 2015 Executive Order 13692, citing human rights abuses
• Trump’s 2017 Executive Order 13808, imposing financial sanctions
• In 2019, after disputed elections, the US recognised Juan Guaidó as interim president, further souring ties.

Ironically, Trump 2.0 began on a conciliatory note, with Richard Grenell visiting Caracas in January 2025. But relations quickly deteriorated.

Collateral Damage

Venezuela is already in crisis. An IMF paper (2025) reports:

• GDP down over 75 per cent in a decade
• 8 million people displaced, 25 per cent of the population
• Even a limited US conflict could prove catastrophic for a nation already on the brink.

In response, Maduro claims to have activated national militias and deployed warships and drones near US assets. US officials allege that Venezuelan jets have made “provocative passes” near American ships.

What Are the Risks?

Future escalations could:

• Disrupt commercial shipping
• Threaten Panama Canal traffic
• Lead to accidental strikes on civilian vessels

The world watches closely.

The question now: Will Trump invade Venezuela?

No one knows for sure. But as Juan Gonzalez, former Biden advisor, told The Guardian:

“I increasingly fear that the Trump administration may stumble into an intervention scenario in Venezuela, which would be frankly disastrous.”

The author is a multi-disciplinary thought leader with Action Bias and an India based impact consultant. He is a keen watcher of changing national and international scenarios. He works as President Advisory Services of Consulting Company BARSYL. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.