MIAMI — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a sweeping international initiative aimed at dismantling drug cartels across the Americas, saying participating nations are prepared to use military force against the criminal organizations.
Speaking before regional leaders at the “Shield of the Americas” summit at Trump National Doral, Trump introduced what he called America’s Counter-Cartel Coalition, a partnership designed to coordinate intelligence sharing, military cooperation and law enforcement efforts to target drug trafficking organizations and transnational gangs.
“The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all,” Trump told attendees. “We’ll get rid of them. You just have to tell us where they are.”
According to Trump, at least 17 countries have already joined the coalition, which he described as a hemisphere-wide strategy to combat organized crime.
The president likened the new alliance to the multinational campaign that dismantled ISIS, arguing the same level of cooperation is needed to confront the cartels responsible for trafficking drugs, weapons and violence throughout the Americas.
Trump singled out Mexico as the region’s primary hub for cartel activity, saying criminal organizations operating there have spread instability well beyond the country’s borders.
The announcement follows a major U.S. operation two months ago that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is now awaiting trial in the United States on federal drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy charges. Trump also praised Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, for working closely with the United States.
The summit brought together heads of state and senior officials from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the gathering.
Closing his remarks, Trump said defeating the cartels will require a united military effort across the region.
“The only way to defeat these enemies,” he said, “is by unleashing the power of our militaries.”
The summit was held at Trump National Doral Miami, where Palm Beach Buzz covered the event on location.
