Pentagon’s Multi-Front Campaign Against South American Drug Cartels

Since the Trump administration returned to the White House, the U.S. military has intensified kinetic operations against Latin-American drug networks. Forces have been destroying suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, interdicting floating refueling platforms off Ecuador, and embedding special-operations teams with Ecuadorian police for raids. The effort is organized under U.S. Southern Command’s “Offensive Campaign Plan,” targeting dismantling illicit networks, attacking logistics, preventing regeneration, bolstering partner sovereignty, and building a coalition.

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The administration has labeled 20 Latin-American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations and created the 19-member Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition (ACCC) to coordinate transnational crime-fighting. Joint operations with Ecuador began in early March, and the first U.S.-led strike against a Venezuelan gang leader was carried out by Southcom.

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• Sept. 2, 2025 – Southcom reports the start of a new strike phase, tallying at least 71 attacks and 239 alleged “narco-terrorists” killed.

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• Early March 2026 – First joint raid with Ecuadorian police; U.S. special forces begin embedding with local authorities.

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• Late August 2026 – U.S. forces target “floating refueling stations” off Ecuador, boarding vessels, handing crews to Ecuadorian authorities, then destroying the ships.

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• Two weeks ago – Approximately 50 U.S. service members and law-enforcement personnel participated in Ecuadorian raids against groups such as Los Choneros and Los Lobos.

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• 71 strikes and 239 deaths of individuals the U.S. designates as narco-terrorists since Sept. 2, 2025 (senior Pentagon official).

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• Maritime interdiction has reduced cocaine-laden vessel movements by 30 %–60 % in the Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, and two Eastern-Pacific lanes.

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• The Central Caribbean corridor is the only route where traffic has increased, prompting cooperation with the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and others.

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• The Pentagon has redeployed several MQ-9 Reaper drones—each costing up to $50 million—to enhance surveillance and strike capability.

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U.S. officials argue that cartel-linked shipments fuel domestic opioid crises and fund transnational terrorism. Disrupting logistics and partner-nation capabilities aims to blunt the flow of cocaine toward the United States and diminish the financial base of groups tied to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The operation also tests a broader strategic pivot that seeks to project American power in the Western Hemisphere while reducing reliance on traditional drug-law-enforcement models.

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Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, described the effort as creating “total systemic friction” against “narco-terrorist” networks that span from production zones in Colombia and northern Peru to distribution routes through Mexico and the oceans. He emphasized a shift from isolated terrorist lists to “hemispheric threat networks.”

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Policy analysts argue the strategy mislabels criminal groups as terrorists and relies on kinetic actions that generate social-media content without substantially weakening cartel leadership. Acting DEA administrator Derek Maltz defended the posture, stating, “Well, you have to be aggressive against terrorists because they’re destroying our future.” Henry Ziemer, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, cautioned that the U.S. is essentially providing partners with surveillance tools rather than direct strike capability.

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Pentagon officials indicate that additional resources may be shifted from Europe to the Western Hemisphere, with potential operations slated for Colombia and the Guatemala-Mexico border. The administration continues to expand the ACCC partnership network, seeking further joint raids and intelligence-sharing agreements with Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama. The long-term plan envisions sustained “command and control” training for partner forces.

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