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US military hikes operational command of counter-narcotics operations in Latin America

11 October 2025 08:45 (UTC +04:00)

The Pentagon announced on Friday it is establishing a new counter-narcotics joint task force overseeing operations in Latin America, a move aimed to strengthen already intensifying military operations that raised questions among legal experts, APA reports, citing Reuters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the task force aimed "to crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe."

"The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold," Hegseth said on X.

So far the missions have focused entirely on striking suspected drug boats in the waters of the Caribbean. The U.S. military has blown up at least four so far, killing 21 people.

The U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. operations in Latin America, said the new task force would be led by II Marine Expeditionary Force, a muscular unit capable of rapid overseas operations which is based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

The U.S. military's Southern Command said the II MEF, as it's known in military parlance, would "synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere."

"By forming a (task force) around II MEF headquarters, we enhance our ability to detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit trafficking networks faster and at greater depth – together with our U.S. and partner-nation counterparts," Admiral Alvin Holsey, who leads Southern Command, said in a statement.

It was unclear if the creation of the task force granted the U.S. troops in Latin America any additional authorities as President Donald Trump mulls potentially striking suspected drug trafficking sites inside Venezuela.

In a statement, Marine Lieutenant General Calvert Worth, who leads the II MEF and will head the task force, suggested the focus was still operations at sea. “This is principally a maritime effort, and our team will leverage maritime patrols, aerial surveillance, precision interdictions, and intelligence sharing to counter illicit traffic, uphold the rule of law, and ultimately better protect vulnerable communities here at home," Worth said.