The US administration has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and is also considering strikes on ground targets inside the country. President Donald Trump said this on October 15, 2025, commenting on an intensified campaign against the government of Nicolas Maduro.
“I don’t want to say for sure, but we are looking at the possibility of strikes on ground targets,” Trump said. Asked whether he had authorized an attempt on Maduro’s life, he replied that it would be absurd to answer that question.
According to the article, Washington has not recognized Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president since 2019 and links him to the Cartel de los Soles, described as a corrupt criminal network embedded in Venezuelan military and state institutions. In August 2025, after the group was designated a terrorist organization, the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest was raised from $15 million to $50 million.
Since January 20, 2025, when Trump returned to the White House, the US has steadily expanded its anti-narcotics campaign. The article says around 10,000 US personnel are now deployed in the region: about 5,500 in Puerto Rico and another 4,500 sailors and Marines aboard ships off Venezuela’s coast.
On September 2, Trump announced a strike on a vessel tied to Tren de Aragua that, he said, killed 11 people. At least four more attacks in international waters followed, the latest on October 14, when six suspected traffickers were reportedly killed.
At the same time, experts note that most overdose deaths in the United States are linked to fentanyl, which is produced mainly in Mexico from Asian precursors, while only about 5% of cocaine shipments pass through Venezuela, according to the UN drug report for 2025. Lawyers and former US officials warn that such a broad use of the label “terrorist” could weaken international legal norms and lay the groundwork for further escalation around Venezuela.