Trump next eyes 'land' in drug war, warns cartel boats are ‘not faster than missiles’

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President Donald Trump is next looking "at land" in Latin America, after the U.S. military has conducted at least five fatal strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean since September. 

"We are certainly looking at land now because we've got the sea very well under control," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "We've had a couple of days where there isn't a boat to be found, and I view that as a good thing, not a bad thing." 

Trump said he wasn’t interested in having the Coast Guard simply stop the alleged drugs boats because "we’ve been doing that for 30 years, and it has been totally ineffective." 

TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA

The U.S. killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Oct. 14, 2025. (realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)

"They have faster boats. Some of these boats are seriously, I mean, they're world class speedboats," Trump said. "But they're not faster than missiles. But we've been trying to do that for years." 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital for more details on the nature of the land operations Trump is considering. 

Additionally, Trump confirmed that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, after the New York Times reported Wednesday he had approved the order. According to Trump, he did so because Venezuela has released prisoners into the U.S., and that drugs were coming into the U.S. from Venezuela via maritime channels. 

Trump declined to answer though when asked if the CIA had the authority to "take out" Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has said it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, but a leader of a drug cartel.

"I don't want to answer a question like that," Trump said. "That's a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn't it be a ridiculous question for me to answer? But I think Venezuela is feeling heat." 

The Trump administration has adopted a hard-line approach to address the flow of drugs into the U.S., and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

President Donald Trump is next looking "at land" in Latin America, after the U.S. military has conducted at least five fatal strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean since September.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Additionally, the White House sent lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 informing them that the U.S. is now participating in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug smugglers. 

However, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns over the legality of the strikes, and Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a war powers resolution in September to bar U.S. forces from engaging in "hostilities" against certain non-state organizations.

Although the resolution failed in the Senate by a 51–48 margin Oct. 8, Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted alongside their Democratic counterparts for the resolution.

US STRIKES ANOTHER ALLEGED DRUG-TRAFFICKING BOAT NEAR VENEZUELA, KILLING 4

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pictured here, and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a war powers resolution in September to bar U.S. forces from engaging in "hostilities" against certain non-state organizations. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

When asked about lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the strikes, Trump dismissed them and said that lawmakers were informed the vessels carried drugs. 

"But they are given information that they were loaded up with drugs," Trump said. "And that's the thing that matters. When they're loaded up with drugs, they're fair game. And every one of those ships were, and they're not ships, they're boats." 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.