In a recent move, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has informed the Pentagon that strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking are legal under both U.S. and international law. This 50-page memo, revealed by a major news outlet, was shared over the summer, just before the Trump administration began executing strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
Since September, U.S. military forces have conducted 19 strikes as part of this initiative. The memo also assures that military personnel involved in these operations will not face prosecution for their actions.
The legal opinion emphasizes that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict,” allowing these military actions under the president’s legal authority. President Trump reinforced this stance in a memo to Congress in October, highlighting that drug cartels employ funding from drug sales to finance violence and extortion, thus justifying military responses within the framework of international law.
A spokesperson from the Justice Department stated, “The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders. Military personnel are obligated to follow lawful orders and are not subject to prosecution for doing so.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that current operations in the Caribbean are in full compliance with the law of armed conflict and that legal advisors have thoroughly reviewed these military actions prior to their execution.
The Trump administration’s aggressive stance against drug-related violence has reportedly resulted in over 70 fatalities and has strained relations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Despite Maduro’s objections, the military continues its operations, with Trump suggesting a potential expansion of these actions to land and cautioning airlines against using Venezuelan airspace.
