CaliToday (28/11/2025): President Donald Trump announced a significant new phase in the U.S. strategy against Venezuelan drug trafficking networks, declaring that the focus would soon shift to land-based interdiction after a successful maritime operation drastically curtailed seaborne drug shipments.
Speaking during a Thanksgiving call with U.S. troops on Thursday, President Trump praised the effectiveness of the current military campaign, which has been unprecedented in its scope.
The Success of the Maritime Crackdown
President Trump noted the immediate and forceful impact of the ongoing operation, which has been targeting drug-carrying vessels off the coast of Venezuela since September.
"In recent weeks, you’ve been doing a very good job deterring drug traffickers from Venezuela—and they have a lot of them. They’re virtually not going by sea anymore. I guess you realize that," the President told the troops.
He asserted that the offensive against seaborne drug transports has resulted in an approximate 85% reduction in maritime activity by the cartels, forcing them to seek alternative routes.
"They put their poison into the United States and kill hundreds of thousands of people a year. But we’re going to handle that," President Trump emphasized.
The Forthcoming Land-Based Offensive
With the Venezuelan drug networks now largely deterred from using sea routes, President Trump confirmed that the administration is preparing for the next, more complex stage of the war on cartels.
"Now that they're virtually off the sea, we're going to start blocking them by land—very soon," Trump said, adding optimistically, "Land is easier."
This announcement signals a major tactical coordination, following an aggressive period where the Trump administration has executed at least 21 airstrikes since September to destroy suspected drug-carrying vessels off the Venezuelan coast. This campaign is aimed not only at crushing the supply lines of drug cartels but also at applying pressure on the regime of Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. has implicated in narcotics trafficking.
Congressional Notification and Hardline Stance
This escalation aligns with President Trump's earlier aggressive rhetoric. Just last October, the President indicated his plan to inform Congress of intentions to strike cartel targets inside Venezuela—a significant step he argued there was "no reason to avoid."
During the Thanksgiving meeting, President Trump turned to Secretary Pete Hegseth and stated: "I want to just simply say to you: 'We're going to do it.' We're going to tell them the plan and do it. Except for the crazy far-left, I think everybody will be supportive."
With sustained pressure on the sea routes and a coordinated, imminent shift to land-based interdiction, the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for what it frames as the most decisive phase this decade in combating the flow of Venezuelan drugs into the U.S.