CaliToday (03/12/2025): In a significant escalation of his regional anti-narcotics campaign, the President threatens ground attacks on drug labs in both South American nations, declaring that cartels producing cocaine and fentanyl will face U.S. military fury.
President Donald Trump has dramatically raised the stakes in his administration's ongoing war on drugs, issuing a stark and direct threat to launch military strikes against narcotics production facilities located on Colombian and Venezuelan soil. The President’s declaration marks a major escalation from his administration’s previous actions, which have primarily focused on intercepting and destroying "narco-subs" and other vessels in international waters.
In a move that is sure to send shockwaves through Bogotá and Caracas, President Trump made clear that his patience has run out, signaling that U.S. forces are prepared to take the fight directly to the source of the drugs flooding American communities.
"If We See Them, We Will Strike Them"
When pressed by reporters on the potential for U.S. ground operations or airstrikes against land-based drug labs, President Trump did not mince words.
"If we find out they're building fentanyl factories or cocaine factories, we're going to take them out," the President asserted. His comments indicate a shift in strategy from interdiction on the high seas to preemptive strikes against production infrastructure within sovereign nations.
The President’s warning was broadened beyond his long-standing adversary, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, to include Colombia, a traditional U.S. ally now led by leftist President Gustavo Petro. Relations between the Trump administration and Petro have become increasingly strained in recent months, with diplomatic friction often playing out in public view.
Colombia In the Crosshairs
Turning his focus to Colombia, the world's largest producer of cocaine, President Trump was direct in his accusation.
"I hear that the country of Colombia is producing cocaine," he said bluntly. "They have cocaine factories, and then they sell the cocaine to the United States."
He went on to deliver a sweeping ultimatum that redefined the rules of engagement for drug cartels and the governments that harbor them: “Any organization that is pumping poison into the United States is a target to be attacked.” He explicitly added that Venezuela is "not the only exception," leaving no doubt that Colombia is now squarely in his sights.
A Calculated Escalation
The threat follows months of intensified U.S. military presence and counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. It also comes on the heels of a near-miss event on October 23rd, when President Trump revealed he had been prepared to notify Congress of imminent plans for ground attacks inside Venezuela. That operation was temporarily shelved to allow for last-minute negotiations regarding a potential deal for dictator Nicolás Maduro to step down and accept exile.
However, this latest, broader warning suggests the window for diplomacy is closing rapidly. The White House appears ready to act unilaterally and decisively if regional governments continue to turn a blind eye or are complicit in the industrial-scale production and trafficking of deadly substances destined for American streets. The message from Washington is clear: the era of impunity for drug cartels and their state sponsors in South America is over.