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The United States is deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rican airfield to target drug cartels in the Caribbean, two people familiar with the decision said Friday, adding to an already significant U.S. military presence in the region.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to intensify pressure on criminal groups he blames for shipping narcotics into the U.S. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the jets will be used in missions against organizations Washington has labeled as narco-terrorists, Reuters reported. The planes are expected to arrive by late next week.
The buildup comes just days after a U.S. strike on a boat that Trump said was carrying “massive amounts of drugs” from Venezuela. The attack killed 11 people and appeared to mark the start of a broader campaign across Latin America.
“There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said from the White House on Thursday.
He added, “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’”
U.S. officials have already deployed warships to the southern Caribbean in recent weeks. Seven Navy vessels and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are either in place or expected to arrive soon, supported by more than 4,500 Marines and sailors. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit has been conducting amphibious drills and flight operations from southern Puerto Rico.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as “effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state.” Maduro, speaking at a rare news conference in Caracas on Monday, accused Washington of “seeking a regime change through military threat.”
The administration has not provided details on the legal authority for Tuesday’s strike or identified what drugs were on board. Trump said the vessel’s crew were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. labeled a terrorist organization in February.