President Donald Trump is sending three destroyers, spy planes, and a submarine to the South Caribbean Sea to combat drug traffickers.
In a report published on Monday, Reuters cited two sources who explained that “Three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers will arrive off the coast of Venezuela in the next 36 hours as part of an effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.”
A separate official told the outlet that the deployment will include spy planes and an attack submarine. The official estimate that a total of 4,000 US soldiers will be involved in the operations.
Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that Trump had secretly signed an order authorizing US military action against cartels in international waters and on foreign soil.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has designated several Latin American cartels as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. In July, the Venezuelan-based Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) was added to the list.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that Venezuelan President Maduro is the leader of Cartel de los Soles, with the State Department recently placing a $50 million bounty on Maduro.
One of the officials speaking with Reuters said the warships will be authorized to conduct “targeted strikes,” not only surveillance and intelligence operations.
