President Donald Trump has directed his national security and defense teams to expand classified briefings for Congress on anti-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to reports. The move follows demands from lawmakers across both parties for greater transparency after a surge in deadly maritime interdictions and heightened U.S. military activity near Venezuela.
U.S. forces have sunk at least 15 vessels and killed more than 60 suspected smugglers since spring, with Trump reportedly urging aides to ensure all members of Congress are informed. The president has positioned the crackdown as a core element of his second-term security agenda, accusing cartels and rogue regimes of transforming the Caribbean into a “floating highway of poison.”
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels have intensified patrols near Venezuelan waters, where intelligence officials allege traffickers operate with assistance from Nicolas Maduro’s security forces. Recent operations 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 efforts as aimed at “disrupting and dismantling” criminal networks, though they acknowledge cartels are becoming more heavily armed and aggressive.
Caribbean nations have called for caution, 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 inside Venezuela, a move that could escalate tensions and risk direct conflict with Maduro’s forces.
Trump has privately vowed to eliminate “sanctuary zones” for traffickers across the Western Hemisphere, with a senior administration official stating, “America is not going to sit back while these killers use our backyard as a launchpad.”
