Trump confirms imminent bombing raids against cartels on foreign soil and will notify Congress: 'Something very serious is gonna happen'

President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. military is preparing airstrikes on foreign soil against drug cartels and will brief Congress before expanding the military campaign against narcoterrorism to the mainland. "Something very serious is gonna happen," the president warned, noting that "we will hit them hard when they come in on the ground."

Trump's statement comes amid a clear intensification of U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean and Pacific Rim. In recent weeks, the Army has deployed naval, air and special forces units to intercept speedboats and has authorized attacks on suspicious vessels, moves the White House describes as part of a campaign against "narcoterrorism." Most of the attacks have occurred off the Venezuelan coast, already leaving more than 30 dead and some eight vessels sunk, including a submarine that the federal government says was carrying drugs.

"We know them. We know the people coming in. We know the boats. We know everything else. We're allowed to do it. It's in international waters. If we don't do it, we're going to lose hundreds of thousands of people. Now, they'll be coming in by land a little bit more because they're not coming in by boat anymore. There are no boats in the water," Trump said, referring to illegal narcotics trafficking via sea being reduced by U.S. precision strikes against vessels.

"And we will hit them very hard when they come in by land. And they haven't experienced that yet. But now we're totally prepared to do that. We'll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we're doing when we come to the land. We don't have to do that. But I think (...) I'd like to do that," the president added.

As the military deployment increases, the United States has expanded its political and criminal pressure tools against drug cartels and the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela. In August, the Department of State announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the dictator to $50,000,000, as he has been indicted for drug trafficking in the Southern District of New York. Likewise, U.S. agencies have sanctioned and designated as terrorist groups and networks linked to the Maduro regime, including the Cartel de los Soles and the Tren de Aragua.

President Trump has also authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, a decision that amplifies the bilateral tension between Washington and Caracas and that, according to experts, could pave the way for lethal actions on Venezuelan territory if the administration considers that there are targets linked to drug trafficking.

The escalation also generated confrontations in the region. Colombia, through President Gustavo Petro, questioned the latest attacks against drug boats. In response to Petro, President Trump announced a cut in military aid to Colombia, reducing aid from more than $700,000,000 to about $230,000,000, and calling the Colombian leader a drug "kingpin."

Analysts and experts consulted warn that the combination of naval operations, covert actions and sanctions seeks to pressure to weaken criminal networks and the state actors that protect them, including the Venezuelan dictator.