Trump administration reportedly plans covert anti-cartel operation in Mexico

By Seyit Kurt

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Trump administration is planning a new covert mission involving US troops and intelligence officers to target drug cartels inside Mexico, according to a report by NBC News citing current and former US officials familiar with the matter.

Officials said the plan could include limited ground operations and drone strikes against cartel leaders and drug laboratories. The mission is expected to be conducted under US intelligence authority, with possible participation from the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command.

Preliminary training for the potential mission is already underway, but officials stressed that no deployment to Mexico is planned at this stage. Talks about the mission’s scale and timing are continuing, and a final decision has yet to be made.

A senior US official said "the Trump administration is committed to utilizing an all-of-government approach to address the threats cartels pose to American citizens.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum voiced opposition to any potential US intervention, saying her country “rejects any form of intervention or interference,” adding that “Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself.”

While Washington’s preference is reportedly to carry out the operation in coordination with the Mexican government, officials have not ruled out proceeding without such cooperation.

In February, the US State Department designated several Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, granting intelligence agencies broader legal authority to conduct covert operations.

Trump has described cartel activities as “a threat to national security,” arguing that traditional law enforcement measures have failed to stop the flow of narcotics into the US.

Recent months have also seen the US military controversially destroy several Venezuelan fishing boats allegedly carrying drugs, but without providing any evidence of this.