"On September 2, U.S. forces struck a vessel in international waters, 11 people, and claimed that it belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang and was laden with narcotics. Just over a week later, Washington unveiled an extensive naval deployment comprised of eight warships, a submarine and thousands of troops and launched a second attack against another alleged smuggling vessel, sending a clear message that the operation is systematic rather than episodic."
""Previously, the United States would board and search vessels and make arrests. Driving much of this paradigm shift is the foreign terrorist designations on more than a dozen organizations," he continued. "The administration wants to send the message that this is not just a rhetorical shift, but that this is a shift with meaning. We deal with terrorists differently than we deal with criminals.""
"What began as maritime interdictions has evolved into a strategic escalation - combining naval power, aerial presence, covert action, and legal redefinition of cartels - in what appears to be an intensifying, long-term confrontation."
U.S. actions have shifted from isolated interdictions to sustained military pressure against regional drug cartels. Early September strikes targeted an allegedly Tren de Aragua vessel and prompted a major naval deployment of warships, a submarine, and thousands of troops, followed by further attacks on suspected smuggling vessels. In early October, the U.S. framed the situation as an "armed conflict" with cartels and conducted another lethal strike off Venezuela. The campaign now combines naval force, air presence, covert action, and legal tools such as terrorist designations, indicating a strategic, long-term confrontation rather than episodic enforcement.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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