Trump Confirms CIA Authority In Venezuela, Weighs Land Strikes On Cartels

President Donald Trump confirmed he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations tied to Venezuela and said he is considering U.S. land strikes on drug-cartel targets there.

The remarks follow a string of American maritime interdictions in the southern Caribbean that destroyed at least five suspected smuggling boats in recent weeks, with a reported 27 dead.

Washington has also put up a reward of up to $50 million for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest on U.S. drug-trafficking charges.

What this means in plain terms: the United States has moved from patrols and seizures to lethal action at sea and is openly signaling a possible shift ashore.

A sizable naval presence—including destroyers and amphibious ships, plus submarines—has been operating in or near the region. A classified presidential finding gives the CIA latitude to support or run operations that could complement military moves.

Caracas calls the U.S. actions illegal and has ordered mobilizations while showcasing its own maritime seizures. The confrontation lands atop a political stalemate.

U.S. rejects Maduro reelection heightening regional risks

The United States rejects Maduro’s most recent reelection as illegitimate; opposition candidate Edmundo González left for Spain after the vote; and opposition leader María Corina Machado has kept a low profile even as she became a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The story behind the story is the legal and strategic framing. Early in Trump’s term, the administration equated major cartels with terrorist organizations, opening a pathway—under U.S. law—to use military force beyond traditional counter-drug work.

That framing now underpins operations at sea and the prospect of raids on land. Supporters argue it finally targets the networks fueling U.S. overdoses and regional crime.

Critics warn it blurs lines between law enforcement and war, invites miscalculation with a sovereign state, and sets precedents other countries might cite for cross-border force.

Why readers outside Brazil should care: escalation risks ripple far beyond Venezuela. A wider clash could disrupt Caribbean shipping and energy flows, complicate migration pressures, and test regional diplomacy from Bogotá to Brasília.

Even without an invasion, a prolonged standoff—covert operations, maritime skirmishes, and political hardening on both sides—raises the odds that a single incident could turn a tense confrontation into a broader crisis.

More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

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