US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed to continue strikes targeting drug cartels.
The announcement comes after Washington announced on Tuesday that the United States had killed 11 people by blowing up a speedboat in the Caribbean. The boat was reportedly leaving Venezuela and was allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, which Washington has designated as a terrorist organization.
Rubio said that previous US interdiction efforts in Latin America have not been effective in stopping the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and beyond.
“What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them,” the US top diplomat said on a visit to Mexico.
Rubio met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City. Afterwards, they released a joint statement promising to increase cooperation between their countries while respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Trump says US strike will cause cartels to think twice
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump justified the strikes as a necessary effort by the United States to send an unmistakable message to Latin American drug cartels.
When asked why the military did not intercept the vessel and capture those on board instead, Trump said the operation would make drug smugglers think twice about trying to bring drugs into the US.
“There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and, everybody fully understands that,” Trump told reporters.
He added, “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.'”
Military operation against cartels to continue
In turn, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that military operations against cartels would continue.
“We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t stop with just this strike,” Hegseth said on Fox News.
“Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco terrorist will face the same fate,” Hegseth said.
He declined to provide details on how the Tuesday operation was carried out, stating that the information was classified. It is unclear whether the vessel was destroyed by a drone, a torpedo, or another means.
In recent weeks, the United States has deployed warships to the southern Caribbean, aiming to follow through on Trump’s pledge to crack down on drug cartels.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
