US Plans Ground Operations Against Cartels in Latin America

Washington is preparing to further expand its campaign against drug trafficking in Latin America, including plans for ground operations in cooperation with regional allies.

The plans were announced by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a visit to Panama. He said the US intends to work with partner countries to soon develop operational capabilities similar to those deployed in strikes against speedboats that, according to US claims, are used to transport drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.

As part of these efforts, the United States is working with countries such as Ecuador and Colombia to confront on the ground groups that Washington has designated as terrorist organizations, Hegseth said.

“Wherever you traffic drugs or threaten the American people or our partners, you will be targeted,” the Pentagon chief warned in a message to drug cartels.

The “Shield of the Americas” initiative, led by the Donald Trump administration, says its aim is to combat drug trafficking. The alliance brings together around 20 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Its members also include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras and Peru, while Mexico, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, has not joined the initiative.

Since September 2025, US forces have carried out a series of strikes against speedboats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Washington claims these vessels are used for drug trafficking.

Data cited in reports indicate that at least 215 people have been killed during these operations.

However, the Trump administration has not released evidence proving that all the vessels targeted were carrying drugs or involved in illegal activities.

The campaign has prompted reactions and criticism from international law experts. They have raised questions about the legality of using military force against individuals who, in their assessment, do not pose a direct threat to the United States.