President Donald Trump announced that the United States will soon begin ground attacks against drug trafficking networks in Venezuela and other countries. The strategy aims to target known land routes identified by the Department of Defense. Trump emphasized that any nation involved in sending drugs to the US will face military action.
In a White House statement on December 2, 2025, President Donald Trump revealed that the Pentagon is expanding its military operations against drug trafficking organizations, with the next phase focused on ground attacks in Venezuelan territory and other countries in the region. The current strategy targets shipments crossing the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, but will now include land routes. Trump explained that the Department of Defense knows the paths of the narco networks and that the operation will impact any country participating in sending illegal substances to the United States, specifically mentioning Colombia and Venezuela.
The president stated: “We are going to start carrying out those ground attacks; the land is much simpler, much simpler, and we know the routes they use.” He added: “Anyone who does that and sells it in our country is subject to an attack. Not just Venezuela. Venezuela has been very bad. Venezuela has been very bad in something else, probably worse than most. But a lot of other people do it too.” These remarks add to previous pressures against President Nicolás Maduro and have raised concerns about a possible direct conflict with Venezuela.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his intent to extend actions against cartels responsible for the opioid crisis in the US. In October, he said “the land will be next,” and in November, he expressed pride in including targets in Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico. Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported in the same cabinet meeting that aerial bombings in the Caribbean have reduced drug inflow by sea by 91%, with 21 attacks killing 82 crew members. However, controversies persist, such as a second bombing in September ordered to eliminate survivors, which Congress is investigating as a possible war crime; the White House attributes the order to Admiral Frank Bradley.