Washington, Oct 1 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that the White House is weighing actions to crack down on drug cartels “coming by land” from Venezuela.
“Now we’ll look at cartels,” he told reporters as he left the White House. “We’re going to look very seriously at cartels coming by land.”
His remarks followed recent US military strikes in international waters in the southern Caribbean, targeting boats that the White House alleged were transporting illicit drugs from Venezuela, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to US accounts, as many as 17 people aboard three vessels were killed in US strikes this month.
The Trump administration has also deployed warships to the Caribbean. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Pentagon has built up a force of more than 6,500 troops in the region.
While some cocaine leaves South America through Venezuela, the country is not a main source of US-bound drugs, said the report, citing a 2020 report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
In recent weeks, the US military struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, President Trump said on Truth Social.
The administration has not provided evidence that drugs were on all of those boats. But an official in the Dominican Republic, alongside one from the US Embassy there, did say at a press conference, earlier on Sunday that drugs were found in the water after one strike.
–IANS
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