United States President, Donald Trump, is reportedly weighing plans to strike cocaine production sites and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela, though no final decision has been made, according to three U.S. officials who spoke to CNN.
Signs of a possible military escalation emerged on Friday when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier strike group, currently stationed in Europe, to head toward the Caribbean amid a significant U.S. troop buildup in the region.
Additionally, Trump has given the CIA the green light to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
Despite these moves, two officials told CNN that Trump has not ruled out a diplomatic path to curb the flow of narcotics into the U.S., even though Washington recently halted talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Although Venezuela is not considered a major cocaine source, the Trump administration has sought to tie Maduro to the international drug trade.
“There are plans on the table that the president is considering” regarding operations on Venezuelan targets, one administration official said, adding that “he hasn’t ruled out diplomacy.”
A second official, who has been directly involved in discussions, confirmed that “many proposals” have been presented to Trump.
A third official added that planning is ongoing across multiple government agencies, though the main focus remains targeting drug operations within Venezuela.
In recent days, Trump has intensified his rhetoric about possible strikes inside the country, while the U.S. military continues to hit suspected drug boats in international waters.
The latest strike, which occurred overnight in the Caribbean, destroyed a vessel allegedly smuggling narcotics, killing six people.
This brings the total number of targeted boats to 10 and fatalities to 43 since the campaign began last month, according to Hegseth.
CNN previously reported that Trump had been considering direct strikes in Venezuela as part of a broader effort to weaken Maduro’s grip on power.
While Trump has hinted publicly at land-based operations, he has yet to clarify what they would entail. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also suggested that “drug routes” could be targeted.
Some within the administration are reportedly advocating for regime change, believing that the anti-drug campaign could trigger Maduro’s downfall by pressuring key allies who benefit from illicit cartel revenues.
“That could happen by putting pressure on people around the Venezuelan leader,” one source told CNN. A newly released video shows Maduro, speaking in English, pleading for peace.
However, data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime confirms that Venezuela does not produce cocaine. The majority of coca cultivation, the raw material for cocaine, occurs in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Similarly, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s annual report released in March did not cite Venezuela among major trafficking routes, instead pointing to Ecuador, Central America, and Mexico.
Nonetheless, administration officials argue that some drug trafficking does occur through Venezuela and highlight Maduro’s 2020 U.S. federal indictment on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
“Nicolás Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker in the United States, and he’s a fugitive of American justice,” Rubio said during a September visit to Ecuador.
Officials have emphasized that Trump is “not in a rush,” as one described it, to make a final decision, given his focus on an upcoming trip to Asia and negotiations with Russia and Ukraine over ending their war.
Although the president remains open to diplomacy, he recently halted talks led by Richard Grenell, his special envoy, aimed at reengaging Maduro’s government. U.S. officials also acknowledged that any aggressive strike inside Venezuela would likely require congressional approval, or at least notification, before proceeding.
Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Trump asserted that he could continue ordering strikes against alleged drug traffickers overseas without a formal declaration of war. He added that while he would inform Congress of any ground operations, he did not expect opposition.
“I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump said. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be like, dead.”
The movement of U.S. forces has raised questions about the administration’s broader intentions in the region.
Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell posted on X that the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford strike group and its air wing was aimed at “dismantling Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism.”
The Ford strike group was last docked near Split, Croatia, on October 21, placing it over 5,000 miles from the Caribbean — a journey that would take several days before it could reach operational range.
Even before the carrier’s redeployment, a large portion of U.S. naval assets had been shifted to U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America.
According to data from the U.S. Naval Institute, assets now in the region include the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of over 4,500 Marines and sailors, three guided-missile destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser, an attack submarine, a special operations ship, and P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.
Additionally, the U.S. has stationed 10 F-35 fighter jets and at least three MQ-9 Reaper drones in Puerto Rico, which has become a key operational hub for the Caribbean mission. Satellite imagery and photos have also revealed that Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, a base closed since 2004, is once again active and operational.
