Trump Intensifies Crackdown: U.S. Expands Anti-Drug Operations Amid Rising Tensions in Caribbean

By Newsmax Wires | Monday, 03 November 2025 05:44 PM EST

President Donald Trump has directed his national security and defense teams to broaden classified briefings for Congress on anti-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to Axios. The move follows increased pressure from lawmakers across both parties after a surge in maritime interdictions and heightened U.S. military activity near Venezuela.

Axios reported that U.S. forces have sunk at least 15 vessels and killed over 60 suspected smugglers since spring. Trump reportedly urged aides, “I keep getting calls about this from congressmen,” and instructed staff to ensure “everyone on the Hill knows what we’re doing.” The crackdown has become a cornerstone of his second-term security agenda, with the president accusing cartels and rogue regimes of turning the Caribbean into a “floating highway of poison.”

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels have drawn closer to Venezuelan waters, where intelligence officials allege traffickers operate with support from Nicolas Maduro’s security forces. Recent weeks have seen U.S. and allied aircraft and ships destroy fast boats and fishing craft suspected of transporting cocaine or fentanyl ingredients. Pentagon officials describe the operations as aimed at “disrupting and dismantling” criminal networks, though they acknowledge cartels are increasingly armed and confrontational.

Caribbean nations have urged restraint, with leaders in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic warning against actions that could “destabilize fragile maritime economies.” The White House has also explored limited land-based strikes on cartel infrastructure within Venezuela, a move that would mark a significant escalation and risk direct conflict with Maduro’s forces.

Trump has privately vowed to “not tolerate sanctuary zones” for traffickers anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. A senior administration official told Axios, “America is not going to sit back while these killers use our backyard as a launchpad,” adding, “This president means business.”