Pentagon Looks at Options to Strike Venezuelan Drug Targets

The Pentagon is working on plans to attack drug traffickers inside Venezuela, an operation that could begin in weeks, people familiar with the operation told NBC News. President Trump posted last weekend that military had destroyed a boat in the Caribbean that he said was carrying narco-traffickers and drugs for the third time in a month. Striking inside Venezuela's borders would represent an escalation of the administration's campaign. No such operation has been approved yet by the president, officials said. The plans under discussion center on drone strikes against the leaders and members of drug trafficking groups, as well as drug labs.

Asked to comment, Pentagon officials declined, and White House aides referred to Trump's past statement saying the present situation is unacceptable. The Pentagon's buildup in the Caribbean suggests the US plans to do more than strike small boats, analysts told the New York Times. The 4,500 troops on eight warships aren't big enough to invade Venezuela or any other country, they said. But experts noted that the clandestine deployment of Special Operations forces indicates that commando raids inside the country are among the possibilities. The Pentagon also has F-35 fighters in Puerto Rico. Venezuela has denied any role in drug trafficking.