Trump Declares US in ‘Armed Conflict’ With Drug Cartels Near Venezuela

President Donald Trump has formally declared that the United States is engaged in “armed conflict” with drug cartels, according to a notice sent to Congress that cites recent military strikes in international waters near Venezuela.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Thursday, serves as the administration’s legal justification for at least three operations that left 14 suspected smugglers dead. It comes amid escalating tensions with Venezuela’s leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, and the largest US military build-up in the Caribbean in more than three decades.

The Trump administration has deployed several warships, fighter jets, and even a nuclear submarine to the region, framing the effort as part of a sweeping crackdown on drug trafficking networks accused of smuggling deadly narcotics into the United States.

“The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the Pentagon said in the notice.

The document also referred to suspected traffickers as “unlawful combatants,” a classification that gives Washington greater legal room to conduct lethal strikes under the law of armed conflict.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the actions, insisting Trump was delivering on his long-standing pledge to dismantle drug cartels.

“He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” Kelly told AFP.

Legal Doubts and Rising Tensions

While the administration maintains its military moves are lawful, legal experts have questioned whether designating cartels as “terrorist groups” creates a sufficient basis for declaring armed conflict outside of traditional war zones. Critics argue the strikes raise complex issues under both US constitutional law and international norms.

A White House official, speaking anonymously, said the letter to Congress was “legally mandated” and did not disclose new information. Still, the disclosure underscores how far Trump is willing to escalate the fight against drug cartels, blurring the lines between counter-narcotics operations and conventional warfare.

The legal debate has been compounded by mounting diplomatic friction with Venezuela. On Thursday, Caracas accused the United States of committing “an illegal incursion” after five US fighter jets were detected flying about 75 kilometers from its coastline.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced the flights as a “provocation” and a “direct threat to our national security.” The government also accused Washington of “flouting international law” and jeopardizing civil aviation across the Caribbean Sea.

The show of force follows Trump’s earlier order deploying 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, eight warships, and a nuclear submarine to the region — a military concentration unmatched in decades.

Confrontation With Caracas

The United States has long accused Venezuela’s leadership of complicity in drug trafficking, allegations President Maduro dismisses as part of a broader campaign to justify regime change.

Tensions have grown steadily in recent months. In September, two Venezuelan military jets buzzed a US naval vessel patrolling in international waters, prompting Trump to warn Caracas that any repeat would result in their “immediate destruction.”

Maduro, for his part, has accused Washington of staging a covert attempt to destabilize his government under the guise of anti-drug operations. His administration contends that US patrols near Venezuelan airspace and waters are designed to provoke confrontation, not prevent narcotics trafficking.

Despite the escalating rhetoric, US officials maintain their focus is squarely on cutting off drug flows. They say cartels represent both a criminal and national security threat, contributing to addiction and overdoses that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.

Yet critics warn the “armed conflict” designation risks dragging the United States into open-ended hostilities in the Caribbean, with unpredictable consequences for regional stability.

For now, the Trump administration appears determined to press ahead. As the Pentagon emphasized in its communication to lawmakers, the president views cartel operations not just as organized crime but as acts of war.

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