In the wake of the successful extraction of Nicolás Maduro from Caracas, US President Donald Trump has signalled a dramatic escalation in his administration's 'war on drugs,' indicating that the military tactics used in Venezuela could soon be deployed against cartels on Mexican soil.
The capture of Maduro on 3 January 2026, during Operation Absolute Resolve, has emboldened the White House to pursue what it describes as a 'non-international armed conflict' against transnational criminal organisations. In a series of statements following the raid, Trump suggested that the era of maritime interceptions is evolving into a strategy of targeted land-based strikes.
