Washington Plans Ground Attacks Against Drug Cartels in Latin America

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a visit to Panama, announced that the United States plans to launch ground attacks against drug traffickers in Latin America, as part of an expansion of its aerial strike campaign targeting boats suspected of being used for smuggling in international waters.

Last September, the administration of President Donald Trump launched a military campaign targeting boats alleged to be transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of at least 215 people.

Hegseth told reporters that plans for ground operations to combat drug trafficking are on the agenda of a 19-nation alliance led by Trump, noting that the scope of these operations could expand to include any area where gangs are active.

He added that the United States hopes to deploy forces alongside allies possessing “operational capabilities similar to those we have seen in the strikes targeting drug boats” in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Speaking on Wednesday evening from an undisclosed location in the Panamanian jungle, Hegseth said the goal was to achieve “the same effect on the ground,” adding that the U.S. is working with Ecuador, Colombia, and other partners to “bring the fight against drug trafficking organizations to land.”

Mexico, governed by a left-leaning administration, has not joined the alliance, despite being a stronghold for powerful drug cartels.

Hegseth defended the attacks on boats, which legal experts and human rights organizations have argued may amount to extrajudicial executions.

He warned, “We will work to track down and eliminate these networks using all the capabilities available to the U.S. government.”