The United States has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to an airfield in Puerto Rico to target drug cartels, according to two sources familiar with the decision. The move is expected to heighten regional tensions. The advanced aircraft will expand the already significant US military presence in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump pursues his pledge to crack down on groups he accuses of smuggling drugs into the country.

The announcement on Friday (Sept 5) follows a US strike earlier in the week on a vessel Trump claimed was carrying “massive amounts of drugs” from Venezuela, which left 11 people dead. The attack signaled what appears to be the beginning of a longer-term military campaign in Latin America. The sources, speaking anonymously, said the jets are being sent to target designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region, with arrival expected by late next week.

In recent weeks, the US has also sent several warships to the southern Caribbean, reinforcing Trump’s anti-cartel initiative. A total of seven warships and a nuclear-powered submarine are either already deployed or en route, carrying more than 4,500 Marines and sailors. Units from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force have also been conducting amphibious and aerial exercises in southern Puerto Rico.

This buildup has intensified pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as “the kingpin of a narco state.” Maduro, at a rare news conference in Caracas, accused Washington of attempting “regime change through military threats.” US officials have not clarified the legal basis for the strike on Tuesday’s vessel or confirmed what drugs it was transporting. Trump claimed, without presenting evidence, that the crew were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang labeled a terrorist group by Washington in February.