All articles tagged with #narcoterrorism
The U.S. military says it struck a boat suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean, killing three people, as part of a broader campaign against alleged narcotraffickers. The operation comes amid ongoing rhetoric of narcoterrorism, but critics question the legality and note the military has not provided public evidence the vessels carried drugs.
A superseding indictment accuses René Arzate-García, aka “La Rana,” a Tijuana plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel, of narcoterrorism and providing material support to terrorism in connection with trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. Rewards of up to $5 million are offered for him and his brother Alfonso Arzate-García as part of a coordinated effort by the DOJ, FBI, DEA and the State Department to dismantle the cartel and curb border drug flow.
Since September, the U.S. military has conducted multiple targeted strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking off South America, killing over 60 people, amid controversy over legal authority and evidence, with reactions from regional leaders and concerns about sovereignty and human rights.
The US is deploying the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and its strike group from Europe to the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking and potentially weaken Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro, amid increased military activity and recent strikes against drug smuggling boats in the region.
The US military has detained two survivors from a 'drug boat' off Venezuela after conducting multiple strikes on alleged 'narcoterrorist' vessels, with President Trump claiming these targeted drug-carrying submarines linked to Maduro's regime. The US has increased military presence in the Caribbean and authorized covert operations in Venezuela amid escalating tensions and accusations of extrajudicial killings, while Venezuela seeks UN intervention to defend its sovereignty.
The Dominican Republic announced it recovered cocaine from a speedboat destroyed in a U.S. military airstrike, marking the first joint operation against narcoterrorism with the U.S. in the Caribbean, amid a broader U.S. campaign targeting drug trafficking and criminal gangs in the region.
Hugo Carvajal, a former Venezuelan military intelligence chief and close associate of Hugo Chavez, pleaded guilty in a US court to charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking, linked to a cartel that partnered with FARC to flood the US with cocaine, with sentencing scheduled for October.