Rubio Says Trump Will Direct More Strikes Against Narco Terrorists
President Donald Trump’s war against narco terrorists is just getting started, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Speaking at a press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, Rubio confirmed that the Trump administration is shifting away from traditional interdiction strategies and embracing more aggressive military action to eliminate drug cartels before they reach the United States.
“Interdiction doesn’t work because these drug cartels — what they do is they know they’re going to lose 2% of their cargo. They bake it into their economics,” Rubio said. “What will stop them is when you blow them up. You get rid of them.”
Rubio’s remarks come just one day after Trump authorized a drone strike that destroyed a drug-laden boat operated by the Venezuelan-linked cartel Tren de Aragua. The strike, conducted in international waters, killed 11 cartel operatives and was celebrated by Trump on Truth Social with a direct warning: “BEWARE!”
A New Strategy: Hit Them Before They Land
Rubio explained that U.S. intelligence confirmed the drug boat was headed for the U.S. before the strike was authorized. “Instead of interdicting it, on the president’s orders, we blew it up, and it will happen again. Maybe it’s happening right now, I don’t know,” he said.
“The president of the United States is going to wage war on narco terrorist organizations,” Rubio continued. “This one was operating in international waters, heading toward the United States to flood our country with poison. And under President Trump, those days are over.”
BREAKING:
Rubio says interdiction drug cartel boats isn’t enough. What works is to blow them up.
He says the U.S. is now waging war on narco-terrorist organizations and will blow up more such boats ???? pic.twitter.com/Zl4KHfTe18
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 3, 2025
Background: Military Surge Near Venezuela
Last month, President Trump ordered military assets into the southern Caribbean Sea to target cartels and their supply routes. The Trump administration officially designated several of these groups — including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartel, and the Cartel of the Suns — as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Venezuelan regime led by socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, which backs Tren de Aragua, responded angrily, accusing the United States of planning regime change. Maduro said Trump’s deployments represented “the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.”
Trump’s Justice Department doubled down, raising the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million. The regime leader is wanted by the U.S. government for narco-terrorism and has been linked to the shipment of over 30 tons of cocaine, including nearly seven tons allegedly tied directly to him.
Attorney General Pam Bondi previously confirmed that the DOJ has seized over $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including private jets and luxury vehicles.
Trump’s Message: “Beware”
With the military’s successful strike this week and more action expected, Rubio left no doubt about the administration’s intentions: “This is war. A war against poison. A war to defend our borders before the drugs ever get there.”
President Trump made his position clear in his Truth Social post: “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”