"Strikes on Drug Boats: Law, Not Hyperbole" Topic

The President holds broad independent power and responsibility to defend the nation from lethal threats, even if Congress has been slow to act.

USNI: link

If this were posted by someone else, and offered the opposite interpretation of the activities, it'd be deleted within 5 minutes.

Here's an alternative view:

link

"There has to be a line between crime and war," said John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush. "We can't just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military. Because that could potentially include every crime."

This Is Not About Drug Smugglers. What is happening in the Caribbean is not ordinary drug interdiction—and both the Trump Administration *and its critics* know it. It is a proxy conflict playing out below the threshold of conventional war—on America's doorstep.

According to the Administration, the Venezuelan-linked vessels targeted by U.S. military action are not "simple" narcotics smugglers. They are components of a coordinated campaign of **asynchronous, unconventional warfare** directed at the United States.

U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that the vessels in question:

* Carried armed personnel
* Transported weapons and trained operatives
* Supported Iranian proxy logistics
* Moved fentanyl precursors intended for U.S. distribution
* Operated under Venezuelan military or intelligence protection

On that basis, the Administration does **not** describe them as drug boats, but as:

Enemy vessels engaged in hostile unconventional warfare against the United States.

That distinction matters.

Under this framework, the United States is not facing isolated criminal activity, but a **coordinated threat environment involving state actors and non-state proxies**.

Specifically:

1. **Cartel de los Soles** is treated not as an independent cartel, but as a **military- and intelligence-controlled logistics arm of the Venezuelan state**.

2. **Tren de Aragua** is assessed as a **Maduro-linked transnational gang**, used to infiltrate foreign countries—including embedding operatives inside the United States.

3. The **Maduro regime**, aligned with **Iran, Russia, and the CCP**, is viewed as part of a broader anti-U.S. coalition employing proxy forces, criminal networks, and covert logistics to apply pressure below the threshold of conventional war.

From this perspective, these vessels are not smugglers exploiting U.S. weakness—they are **tools of state policy**.

And remember, this Network Has Already Been Designated a State Actor -- and not by Trump! This assessment did not originate with Trump, nor did it disappear under Biden.

U.S. federal courts—during Trump's first term and upheld during the Biden Administration—charged **Nicolás Maduro and senior regime officials** with narco-terrorism, corruption, and large-scale drug trafficking. These indictments explicitly alleged collaboration with the Marxist **FARC**, and the use of **Tren de Aragua as a regime-directed foreign enforcement and assassination arm**.

So this network has already been legally defined by the United States as **state-directed criminal warfare**, not independent organized crime.

And we know that Venezuela is not acting alone.

Iran—specifically the **Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)**—has one of its strongest Western Hemisphere footholds in Venezuela. Since the Chávez–Ahmadinejad era, Caracas and Tehran have built an unusually deep strategic partnership centered on:

* Military cooperation
* Intelligence sharing
* Sanctions evasion
* Dual-use industrial facilities
* Drone and fast-attack craft production
* Cyber and surveillance systems

Iran has assisted Venezuela in assembling **Mohajer-6 armed drones**, supporting naval capabilities, and sustaining Maduro's sanctioned oil sector through cargo flights and technical personnel.

U.S. intelligence and Treasury designations describe this relationship as a **growing Iranian military footprint in the Western Hemisphere**, enhancing regime survival in Caracas while expanding Tehran's ability to project power near U.S. territory.

There is also credible documentation linking the IRGC to **drug trafficking through Venezuelan channels**, including heroin, opium, and methamphetamine.

This is not speculative. It is documented.

And of course our pals Russia and the CCP are watching closely. They are not passive observers.

Both see Venezuela as an opportunity to establish or expand a **strategic Caribbean presence**—one that threatens U.S. maritime routes, regional stability, and homeland security. Venezuela offers geography, deniability, and a regime already hostile to Washington.

That convergence matters.

So this Military action did not appear out of nowhere.
For more than a decade—across **Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations**—the United States attempted to curb the Maduro regime through every conventional tool available:

* Sanctions
* Indictments
* Travel restrictions
* Trade and financial isolation
* Diplomatic pressure
* Support for democratic opposition and human-rights activists
* Law-enforcement-led "drug war" measures

None of it deterred Maduro.

As Caracas deepened ties with Iran, Russia, and China, the Trump Administration designated **Cartel de los Soles as an international terrorist organization**, enabling additional financial, diplomatic, and security measures.

That did not deter Maduro either.

Military strikes, therefore, are not the opening move. They are the **end of a long escalation ladder** after conventional deterrence failed.

And we have a dual-track policy. The Administration maintains a clear distinction:

*The U.S. Coast Guard** continues to handle ordinary narcotics smuggling through arrest and interdiction.
*Military force** is reserved for vessels assessed as **state-directed instruments of asymmetric warfare**.

This is not about drugs alone. It is about deterrence. It's about re-establishing US power in the Carribean and pushing back on China, Russia and Iran.

The Democrats are not naïve. They know this history. Two Democratic presidents formally labeled Maduro a problem and were forced to act against him. They know Iran's role. They know Russia and China are circling. They know hostile powers want to turn Venezuela into a Caribbean base of operations.

Yet attacking Trump appears—politically—to matter more than acknowledging a shared national-security reality.

Obviously a very contentious issue.

I'm sure that one day, it will be sorted out at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

I've seen the Dutch prison complex in Scheveningen, where they hold war criminals. A forbidding place…

Maduro orders his navy to escort ships carrying oil

link

And now what…?

Armand

Cut to the chase. It's all about seizing Venezuelan oil.
And Congress will not be permitted to have any say at all.

Remember when we had a Constitution? Ah. Those were the days!
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11

Aaaah, shut yer mouth OFM. We don't need no stinking Constitution! It's more of a suggestion than a requirement!
Heck, we did Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan without a Declaration!

Poster above lays out quite a case for whatever POTUS wants to do. 🙄 He's very wise, and the Bestest and Goodest POTUS ever! Just ask him! He'll tell you!

I would be afraid to do that…

Armand

@OFM – I believe you are correct, in fact informative, impartial and historically correct plaques have just been put up in the White House that convey that information. They have been written, it is reported, by a student of history which is a relief – it could have been done by some nut job with an axe to grind.

+1 to SBminisguy

Spot on, and there's another twist a lot of people don't consider- the Panama Canal and as the OFM point out, Venezuelan oil, and it's scary.

Before the US entered WWI and WWII it had to do something very basic- secure the Western Hemisphere and the Panama Canal. In WWII another twist was added, securing Venezuelan oil. You see, Venezuela is a key country with oil. It's positioned near the Panama Canal and with modern weapon technology like A2/AD it is in place to interdict the Canal's traffic. Put enough missiles there and you might delay, or even prevent, the US from doing its interior lines maneuver with the US Navy. We saw this in spades in WWII when the US, and the allies for that matter, shuffled warships between the Atlantic and the Pacific. In early WWII it allowed us to move the other carriers of the Navy to join the Pacific Fleet for Midway and the Solomons. Later in the war, swarms of lighter warships joined the fleet after the German Navy was basically destroyed, adding weight and ASW capabilities to the Navy. Keeping the Canal Zone free of A2/AD weapons is VITAL.

OFM is spot on about Venezuelan oil. It was a vital source of hydrocarbons for the Allies in WWII. It was a source of energy that powered fleets, airforces, and armies. It was in a place where the Axis could never reach. Do a Google Search on Venezuelan WWII and you'll see article after article talking about how vital it was. The basic Google summary says this:

"With an output of 563,000 barrels per day, Venezuela was the world's top oil exporter and third largest producer in 1939, after the United States and Soviet Union."

Here's a YouTube video that can tell you more: YouTube link

Getting Venezuela out of the US's orbit was quite the coup, as was getting access to the Panama Canal. Shut those two down and you're really hurting the US's ability to prosecute a world scale war. Trump is doing what other US presidents, Wilson and Roosevelt, did in the past prior to a world war… secure America's 'backfield'. Trump has a much harder task due to America's, the West's to be honest, amazing strategic stupidity.

Are you suggesting this is all preparation for WWIII?

Strange thing for a self described non-interventionist president desperate for a peace prize to do.

SBminisguy:
Your post is very interesting to me. I hate Trump and believe he is destroying the US in the manner of all tyrants, BUT I have lived my 75 years through many lies from our government. I do believe Maduro is a bad guy, not because he is a socialist (no issue with that idea) but because everything I read seems to point to him being a bad guy, no matter the source of the information. Also, I find quite often now that our parties try to create the idea they differ on even this kind of action but in reality they do the same things when in power.
OFM: One of the reasons I re-upped with TMP is because I like the entertainment you provide whether miniatures or other. I agree that we want Venezuela's oil just like we wanted Iraq's oil. It is all about OIL and MONEY.
One other thing: the earth is reflecting less light than in the past. This is, according to scientists, the result of the pollutants in the air that allow more sunlight in than before. Who owns Coppertone? I want their stock to tide me over until I roast.
My conclusion overall: We will kill ourselves. Forget about extraterrestrial beings taking us over except in SciFi miniatures games, of course.
Thank you for allowing me my rant. I will try mightily to limit them.

@20thmaine- Yup, pretty much. He's trying to avoid it, but he might have no choice. Look at map, look at our allies, and look at our current situation. Europe is a mess and is getting worse. They are actually so weak that fending off a Russian attack on say the Baltics is a bit of a question mark. Germany, France, and Britain would struggle to raise a single division each and barely have the means to support these forces for more than a month or two of intense combat. The Baltics and Poland are in better shape which shows you just how bad off the old 'big three' are militarily. Also, all three are facing HUGE demographic challenges in their own territories. That means that the 70K or so troops we have in Europe are pretty vital for its defense, but we REALLY need them in the Indo-Pacific. Russia should be an annoying distraction that Europe can deal with, not a serious second front for US.

So…

We're looking in two directions and the central theater is the Indo-Pacific. WWIII is WWII in reverse. Venezuela sits at that pivot point (Panama and A2/AD) and has resources that will be vital for power our forces. Their oil is easier to extract than ours and cheaper too. That saves money and resources for other things like building more aircraft, AFVs, and warships and gives them a source of energy needed to fight.

So yeah, WWIII and we're in the opening phases of it. To put it in historical terms, we're flirting with 1938 or 1939. The Russo-Ukrainian War is China/Japan and the Middle East is Spain. Taiwan is Poland. We're just waiting for September 1, 1939.

If this were posted by someone else, and offered the opposite interpretation of the activities, it'd be deleted within 5 minutes.

I would have posted whatever USNI thought on the subject.

SB +1
TG +1

As far as the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, they are less relevant than the UN at accomplishing anything. After all, Putin is still in Russia. 😏

"I've seen the Dutch prison complex in Scheveningen"

🤔
Think how full that prison would be today, if they filled it with the true enemy of the world's, Christians and Jews and even some of their own religion, "radical Islamists". Instead of bending into pretzels, trying to avoid using the word "Islam " when referring to those same terrorists.🙄

Might even throw some Jew haters in before they commit more atrocities, when they shout things like; "Gas the Jews!".

But alas: " If wishes were horses, beggars would ride".

I remember "the war on drugs," from my youth, under President Reagan. Now, after 45 years, the cold war on drugs has finally gone hot. I am OK with that.

China knows that their pre-cursor drugs are being used to manufacture lethal drugs for sale in the USA. This is a proxy war with China, and I am OK with it going hot on the drugs, themselves. I love seeing the Cartels lose money, equipment, and people. Nations need to find a revenue source other than dangerous drugs. Cheers!

To TGunner's point, hopefully NOT WW3, but the US is pushing back on deep Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere. They have spent hundreds of billions of $$ over the last two decades "flipping" countries like Brazil, to where for some, China is thier largest trade partner. Or did you wonder why Brazil has pushed so determinedly down the leftist authoritarian track? So the US is supporting pro-Western movements, in Honduras, Chile, Argentina, trying to isolate the Communist leader of Columbia, and trying to remove Venezuela from China's chess set.

20th Maine +1

I at least had the same perception last week, but I cannot fault the Editor for managing the content as is his right.

The US declined to sign on to the ICC and generally has nothing to do with it, except to undermine it with criticism. The major powers do not want their military subjected to international law, especially since international aggression is now a war crime. Putin on trial would be an obvious case. In any case, the court could not possibly handle the sheer number of crimes committed or alleged in Ukraine, Gaza/Israel, and other hot spots in recent times.

Obviously a very contentious issue.

I'm sure that one day, it will be sorted out at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

I've seen the Dutch prison complex in Scheveningen, where they hold war criminals. A forbidding place…

It will be a cold day in hell before you see any American appear before the ICC, kara.

Getting Venezuela out of the US's orbit was quite the coup, as was getting access to the Panama Canal. Shut those two down and you're really hurting the US's ability to prosecute a world scale war. Trump is doing what other US presidents, Wilson and Roosevelt, did in the past prior to a world war… secure America's 'backfield'. Trump has a much harder task due to America's, the West's to be honest, amazing strategic stupidity.

Here's a message just in from reality, a concept that many here seem to be separated from. America does not own the world. There, the uncomfortable truth.

A US land grab in Central America is no different to Putin's land grab in Ukraine.

As a certified TMP Old Fart™️, I can remember a fracas from Back in the Day, when a certain person, naming no names, but he's no longer here, would have lengthy posts and threads with multiple quoted paragraphs, cut and pasted from copyrighted sites and books.
A decree came down from On High that limited ALL POSTS to no more than 3 quoted paragraphs per post.
Has that been revoked? 🤔 Or do Some People, naming no names, have a dispensation?

This is TMP! (Kicking the Persian envoy down the well.) It's allegedly a site for discussion of miniature gaming. It's not supposed to be a copyright violation of sundry National Military Journals to Prove that Our Government Should Rule the World.
Funny that Certain People, naming no names, can post very partisan threads in Ultramodern, yet starting opposite viewpoint threads get immediately taken down and deleted. 🤔

Good point, John.

"Here's a message just in from reality, a concept that many here seem to be separated from. America does not own the world. There, the uncomfortable truth.

A US land grab in Central America is no different to Putin's land grab in Ukraine."

Here's a message from real politiks- general wars don't care about nice things like national sovereignty. Ask Iran about WWII.

The Panama Canal is a vital asset and must be maintained. That's why Trump hammered them in the opening days of his presidency. One mole knocked in. Venezuela is another mole that he's hammering now.

Right or wrong, it's reality. It's real politiks and it's how the world works. We've just had a reprieve from it since WWII, and now it's here in spades.

@SB- Yeah, I'm just the shining example of optimism. People were telling me here on TMP ages ago that I was wrong and that we lived in an age where 'great wars' were a thing of the past. I have little faith in humanity and its leaders. I think WWIII is around the corner and the West had better get its collective together, because if you hated American hegemony, then you're gonna really hate a world ran by China/Russia.

The Panama Canal is a vital asset and must be maintained.

The Suez canal is a vital asset too.

link

Europe thanks you for your assistance in resolving that one…

You are welcome.

We have always been martyrs to our own generosity. 🙂

the West had better get its collective Bleeped text together, because if you hated American hegemony, then you're gonna really hate a world ran by China/Russia.

That's why Trump is trying to end the war in Ukraine and try to get Russia to back out of China's sphere of influence. But the Europeans are stuck in a sunk cost fallacy, still dreaming of a magic day when Putin falls and the EU somehow gets preferential access to Russia's vast resources…it's also why he's pushing Europe to end their destructive energy , economic, social and immigration policies. If there is a US-China War, Europe won't be able to support The West…

Again, You're welcome.

Just in from "WHO"

"The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for Gaza confirms that no areas of the Strip are currently classified in famine following the October ceasefire and improved humanitarian and commercial access."

Of course one had to believe there was a famine to start with, but the "ceasefire" seems to have rectified it. For now. 😉

Not alone either:

"Countries aiding the U.S. against Venezuela primarily include Caribbean nations like Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, and potentially Grenada, offering access for military bases, surveillance, joint exercises, and logistical support for U.S. pressure campaigns against the Maduro regime, focusing on drug trafficking and regional stability. South American allies like Ecuador, Paraguay, and Argentina provide political backing and designate Venezuelan groups as terrorist organizations, while the U.S. uses its hubs in Puerto Rico and Curacao."

And

"Most South American nations have been critical of Maduro's government, pointing to human rights violations, the jailing of political opponents, and the severe economic and humanitarian crisis that has caused a massive migration of Venezuelans across the continent.
Argentina: The government of President Javier Milei has been a harsh critic, formally recognizing opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as the "undisputed winner" of the 2024 election and calling Maduro a "dictator".
Chile: President Gabriel Boric, a left-wing leader, has also publicly stated that Maduro's government is a dictatorship and that international efforts must be made to restore democracy.
Colombia: President Gustavo Petro initially reestablished diplomatic ties but has since distanced himself from Maduro, acknowledging a "lack of democracy and dialogue". Colombia was among the countries pushing for a diplomatic resolution to the 2024 electoral crisis.
Peru & Uruguay: Both countries have consistently labeled the Maduro government as an authoritarian regime and have not recognized his re-election victories, viewing the processes as fraudulent. "

What happens after Maduro is gone and the US has the oil?

"The US declined to sign on to the ICC and generally has nothing to do with it, except to undermine it with criticism."

If you don't follow international law, that makes you a Rogue State, ipso facto?

That explains a lot.

Fentanyl and Chinese influence are serious problems, no doubt. Something needs to be done.

I just have two sincere questions:

Chinese aircraft destroy a boat carrying Americans hundreds of miles from China. China announces the boat was carrying contraband into China, even though it wasn't headed for China. Would we shrug our shoulders and say they got what they deserved or would we make a fuss?

Second question: if this is okay, what's not okay? When is the president not allowed to kill people and say there is intelligence indicating they are up to no good?

And yes, these questions can be applied to Obama's countless drone strikes during his eight years.

Tort.

Well, the drugs that this is "supposedly about" (although he pardoned a narco-terrorist who has shipped 400 tons of cocaine in the US) will continue to flow right on in and nothing more will be said.

"And yes, these questions can be applied to Obama's countless drone strikes during his eight years."

And Biden's and other Presidents actions. Also actions throughout history by other countries.

What he is doing is not new, in our hemisphere or others. Venezuela is really playing out as the Monroe doctrine.

….

What I hear mostly in these posts and sooo many other threads:

I know.. "But this is the Evil despot tyrant, Donald Trump! Hitler's son!! So this is unique!!! I know because CNN, MSNBC, the BBC and soooo many others, tell me so".

"He is going to invade Greenland! He is going to invade Canada! He bombed Iran and it accomplished nothing!! His ceasefire between Israel and Iran will only last days!! His ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, will only last days!! He will not end the famine!! He hates Jews!! He is too friendly with Jews!! He can't stop the illegals!! He is sending too many illegals back!! He hate gays!! He …… !!!" 🙄

Same thing I've heard since the first election, starting out with "Pee Gate" and "Russian collusion".