Trump Says He’s Looking at Land Strikes Targeting Venezuela Drug Cartels

‘We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,’ the U.S. president said.

U.S. Navy warship USS Lake Erie (CG 70) crosses the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal amid a U.S. naval deployment near the coast of Venezuela in Panama City on Aug. 29, 2025. Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 15 that his administration is considering land strikes targeting Venezuelan drug cartels, an escalation of recent military strikes on drug trafficking boats off the nation’s coast.

During a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. military has “almost totally stopped” Venezuelan drug trafficking rings by sea, adding, “Now we'll stop it by land.”