A Coast Guard crew member assigned to Coast Guard Cutter Diligence (WMEC 616) wraps bales of illicit narcotics during a drug offload at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida, Sept. 22, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 1st Class Riley Perkofski)

In recent months, U.S. forces have conducted multiple operations targeting smuggling vessels as President Donald Trump pushed to crack down on cartels and stem the flow of cocaine and other illicit drugs into the United States.

In February, Trump designated groups, including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations. The Justice Department has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro is accused by U.S. authorities of helping lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking network allegedly comprised of senior government and military officials.

“As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” a State Department bulletin states. 

A Coast Guard Cutter Diligence (WMEC 616) crew member carries a bundle of illicit narcotics off the cutter during a drug offload at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida on Sept. 22, 2025.  (U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Riley Perkofski)

Prosecutors allege Maduro helped arrange multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine and directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide the group with military-grade weapons.

In August, Trump approved the deployment of several U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers to strengthen counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.

Maduro responded by declaring that Venezuela was ready to resist any attacks, calling the move “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.” He has accused Trump of orchestrating a broader campaign to overthrow his government.