U.S. officials have ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of President Donald Trump’s expanded effort to dismantle drug cartels operating in the Caribbean.
Reuters reported Friday that the jets are expected to arrive at a Puerto Rican airfield late next week. Sources familiar with the operation said the aircraft will conduct missions targeting narco-terrorist groups in the southern Caribbean, including Venezuela-linked networks. The announcement came just hours after the Pentagon accused Venezuela of a “highly provocative” maneuver when two of its fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, a U.S. Navy warship.
The deployment follows a direct strike ordered by President Trump earlier this week. On Tuesday, U.S. forces destroyed a narcotics-laden vessel in international waters, killing 11 members of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal syndicate designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Trump confirmed the strike in a Truth Social post, declaring the group guilty of mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and terrorism across the Western Hemisphere.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed,” Trump wrote. He warned traffickers that anyone attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S. should “BEWARE.”
In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up its presence in the region. In August, officials deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers near Venezuelan waters to reinforce deterrence against cartel operations.
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has responded by accusing Washington of plotting an invasion to remove him from power. He ordered “maximum preparation” in Venezuela’s military ranks and threatened a “period of armed struggle” if U.S. forces moved against his regime.
