Washington, D.C. — In a move that has stunned Washington insiders and enraged criminal networks, President Donald Trump has quietly authorized the U.S. military to use force against Latin American drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

First reported by The New York Times, the order grants U.S. forces unprecedented authority to strike cartel operations both on land and at sea. Targets include Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, the Cartel de Los Soles, and the infamous MS-13 gang.

“The president is determined to not just dismantle – but completely destroy – Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere,” a source close to the White House told reporters.

Since returning to office, Trump has tightened trade measures on Canada and Mexico over what he calls their failure to curb drug and human smuggling. He has also ordered immigration authorities to target and deport suspected gang members, while pledging to redirect seized cartel assets to families impacted by violent crime.