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President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will “very soon” begin taking action on land to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers, expanding ongoing counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many,” President Trump said Thursday. “Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore. Have you probably noticed that?”
“You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” he said.
The comments mark a new phase in the administration’s efforts targeting criminal networks it has linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of enabling the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Maduro has denied any involvement in drug trafficking.
U.S. forces in the region have so far concentrated its efforts at sea. Since September, U.S. troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats suspected of transporting narcotics, killing at least 83 people, according to U.S. officials.
Reports of a broader shift in operations have circulated for weeks. Reuters, citing U.S. officials, reported Saturday that the administration is preparing a new phase of actions related to Venezuela as tensions continue to worsen.
The United States has maintained a heightened military presence in the Caribbean this fall, a posture that analysts say reflects both strategic pressure on Maduro’s government and counter-narcotics priorities.
The president previously mentioned land operations in October, RSBN previously reported.
“We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea under control. We’ve had a couple of days now where there isn’t a boat to be found,” Trump told reporters.
The president added, “We’re not going to let our country be ruined because other people want to drop, as you say, their worst … we’re not going to take them.”