President Donald Trump signed an order directing the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels that his administration labeled as terrorist organizations, according to a report on Friday in The New York Times. The order is Trump’s latest escalation in attempting to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
It could result in armed military action at sea and on foreign soil.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
United States officials started devising ways the military could target the groups, but Trump’s directive could face legal trouble, according to NYT. Among the unresolved questions is whether U.S. service members could be tried for murder if they killed civilians and suspects outside of congressional authority.
Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, told the Times that under previous executive branch legal opinions, it could be difficult to see “some random drug trafficker meeting the threshold for the self-defense exception to the assassination ban.”
The United Nations strongly condemned the United States after President George H.W. Bush sent 20,000 troops to arrest the ruler of Panama, Manuel Noriega, on drug charges in 1989. The UN Security Council described the military action as a “flagrant violation of international law.”
Are drug traffickers terrorists?
A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, told the Times that “Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.”
Nine cartels have been labeled terrorist organizations, according to the U.S. Department of State. They include Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (more commonly known as MS-13) and Cártel de Sinaloa.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Catholic news site EWTN the U.S. could no longer treat the cartels as local street gangs.
“They have weaponry that looks like what terrorists, in some cases armies, have,” Rubio said. “They control territory in many cases. Those cartels extend from the Maduro regime in Venezuela, which is not a legitimate government. We don’t recognize the Maduro regime as legitimate.”
When Trump named Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization, he alleged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other officials are leading the group.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. Federal prosecutors charged Maduro in March 2020 with narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy.
Warning on Venezuelan travel
The department issued a “do not travel” advisory in May for Venezuela, due to a heightened risk of wrongful detainment, terrorism and poor enforcement of local laws. Trump partially suspended visas for Venezuelan citizens in June, according to the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela.
“Venezuela lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents, and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures,” according to the embassy.
