US President Donald Trump has considered plans to target facilities producing cocaine and routes used for drug trafficking inside Venezuela, but has not yet decided whether to proceed, CNN reported, citing three US officials.
Signs on Friday pointed towards a potential military escalation, with Pentagon chief Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier strike group, currently stationed in Europe, to move to the Caribbean amid a major buildup of US forces there.
Trump has also authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The president has not ruled out a diplomatic approach to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, two officials said, even after the administration cut off active talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in recent weeks.
Venezuela is not known to be a major source of cocaine, but the Trump administration has been trying to link Maduro to the drug trade.
"There are plans on the table that the president is considering" regarding operations inside Venezuela, one administration official said, adding that "he hasn’t ruled out diplomacy."
A second official involved in the discussions said many proposals have been presented to the president.
A third official added that planning is underway across the government, with top-level focus on targeting drugs inside Venezuela.
Huge escalation
Trump has escalated his rhetoric on possible land strikes inside Venezuela in recent days, while the US military continues to target alleged drug boats in international waters.
The latest strike, overnight in the Caribbean, reportedly killed six people, bringing the total number of targeted boats to ten and fatalities to 43 since the campaign began last month, according to Hegseth.
CNN previously reported that Trump had been weighing strikes inside Venezuela as part of a broader strategy to weaken Maduro.
The president has publicly mused about such operations, though it remains unclear what they would entail.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested drug "routes" might be targeted.
Some administration officials view the anti-drug campaign as a possible path to regime change, aiming to pressure figures close to Maduro.
US officials acknowledged that any aggressive operation inside Venezuela would likely require congressional approval or briefings before proceeding.
