President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is considering new military action against drug cartels operating out of Venezuela, including operations “by land,” raising concerns of a possible escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.

The remarks came days after U.S. forces targeted several boats allegedly smuggling narcotics from Venezuela through the Caribbean. The Pentagon said those operations destroyed four vessels and left 17 people dead. The strikes have fueled speculation that broader military intervention in the South American nation could be on the horizon.

“Now we’ll look at cartels,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to look very seriously at cartels coming by land.” He added that since U.S. forces began targeting drug-trafficking boats, “we have absolutely no drugs entering our country by water, because they were lethal.”

Trump’s comments align with recent media reports suggesting the administration is reviewing plans for targeted operations inside Venezuela. NBC News reported that options under consideration include drone strikes on cartel figures and clandestine drug labs. While no final decision has been made, officials say potential actions could begin “within weeks.”

Trump’s comments come amid one of the largest U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean in decades. Warships, surveillance aircraft, amphibious vessels, and even a nuclear-powered submarine have been stationed off Venezuela’s northern coast. Although U.S. officials insist the mission is focused on drug interdiction, critics argue it doubles as a show of force against the Nicolás Maduro socialist regime.

Washington has long accused Maduro and senior officials of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a shadowy network allegedly embedded within Venezuela’s military and intelligence services, and responsible for trafficking cocaine to the United States. The Trump administration has labeled Maduro a “fugitive from American justice” and indicted him on charges of narco-terrorism.

“Venezuela has been very dangerous with drugs and other things,” Trump said Tuesday. He claimed that since the recent maritime strikes, “there are no boats, no fishing boats, there is nothing.”

Maduro has categorically denied the allegations. On Monday, he signed a decree activating a state of emergency in the event of foreign aggression. Venezuelan officials condemned what they described as U.S. threats of an “imperialist invasion,” warning that military action could destabilize the region. “Our goal is to ensure that the entire nation, every citizen, has the support and protection of all the forces of Venezuelan society to respond to any threat or attack against our country,” Maduro said in a televised address last week.

Under Article 338 of Venezuela’s constitution, a declaration of external emergency — or Declaración de Conmoción Externa — allows the government to temporarily suspend certain constitutional guarantees, though fundamental rights such as the right to life and protection from torture remain in force. The measure is valid for 90 days and may be extended once for another 90 days. It must be approved by the Council of Ministers, submitted to the National Assembly, and reviewed by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court within eight days.

The U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean underscores the seriousness of American intentions. At its core is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force centered on the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and two San Antonio-class transport ships. Together, they carry over 2,000 Marines trained for rapid-response operations.

In total, approximately 4,500 Marines and sailors are deployed, supported by a cruiser, several destroyers, and a Los Angeles-class attack submarine equipped with more than 400 missile tubes capable of precision strikes. Ten stealth F-35 fighter jets have been stationed in Puerto Rico, with the capability to neutralize Venezuela’s aging fleet of Sukhoi-30s and F-16s.

U.S. Marines have conducted joint exercises on the island, while Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine have made high-profile visits.

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(McClatchy reporter Emily Goodin contributed to this story from Washington.)

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