U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized the military to take direct action against certain Latin American drug cartels, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s anti-narcotics strategy.
According to a report by The New York Times, Trump quietly signed a directive instructing the Pentagon to prepare military options for operations at sea and on foreign soil targeting groups Washington has now labelled as terrorist organizations.
Military officials have reportedly begun drawing up strategies for the campaign, which could involve both naval and ground operations in cartel strongholds. 
Since reclaiming the White House in January, Trump has pursued an aggressive approach to transnational drug crime, ordering the State Department to formally designate foreign cartels as terrorist groups. That designation, applied earlier this year, now covers Venezuelan and Mexican organizations such as Tren de Aragua and the Mara Salvatrucha gang, better known as MS-13.
Last week, the administration extended the terrorist label to Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles—or Cartel of the Suns—accusing President Nicolás Maduro of being at its helm.
On Thursday, U.S. authorities announced they had seized $700 million in assets allegedly linked to Maduro while increasing the reward for information leading to his arrest from $15 million to $50 million.
The Trump administration argues that the cartels represent a direct threat to U.S. national security and justifies the military response on that basis. Critics, however, are expected to challenge the legality of using American armed forces in such operations, especially on foreign territory.
