U.S. set to deploy 10 F-35s to Puerto Rico in escalating war on Latin American cartels

09/08/2025 / By Laura Harris

President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to intensify military operations against drug cartels in the southern Caribbean, especially along smuggling routes from Venezuela and Colombia.
The deployment follows a Sept. 2 U.S. military strike that killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a group Trump labeled a “narco-terrorist” organization tied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the U.S. is now at “war” with these groups, not merely engaging in arrests. Puerto Rico’s Governor Jenniffer González Colón voiced strong support for the operation, citing threats to U.S. public safety.
Trump confirmed the strike on Truth Social, warning others against trafficking drugs into the U.S. and shared a video of the operation.
Alongside the F-35s, the U.S. has deployed at least eight Navy warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the eastern Caribbean, signaling a major expansion of American military presence in the region.

President Donald Trump has directed the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, intensifying a wider military campaign targeting drug cartels in the Caribbean region.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the jets are expected to arrive in the southern Caribbean by late this week and will be stationed at a military airfield in Puerto Rico. Officials confirmed that the F-35s will be used in operations targeting “designated narco-terrorist organizations” operating throughout the southern Caribbean, including smuggling routes from Venezuela and Colombia.

“We’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers or their little fast boats and say let’s try to arrest them,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a diplomatic stop in Ecuador on Sept. 4. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years, and no one has responded.”

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón of Puerto Rico echoed a similar stance and welcomed the military deployment of fighter planes.

“For too long, cartels and the narco-terrorist regime in Venezuela have flooded our communities with dangerous drugs, fueling violent crime in our streets and endangering the public safety of American citizens in Puerto Rico and across the rest of the U.S.,” she said on Sept. 5. “We are proud to support our nation’s counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.”

Trump’s war on cartels intensifies

The deployment comes just days after U.S. forces launched a controversial strike on a drug-smuggling vessel from Venezuela, operated by the notorious Tren de Aragua gang.

As per Brighteon.AI’s Enoch, Tren de Aragua, one of the most violent and powerful transnational gangs in South America, has been repeatedly singled out by Trump as a key player in fueling drug-related violence in U.S. cities. He has also accused the gang of operating with the backing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a claim that Caracas has denied.

In line with this, he directed an operation on Sept. 2, which resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals aboard the boat.

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that day, along with a 29-second video of the strike. (Related: U.S. Navy deploys warships near Venezuela amid tensions over drug trafficking allegations against Maduro.)

In tandem with the strike, the U.S. has significantly bolstered its military presence in the region. A fleet of at least eight Navy warships is now operating in the eastern Caribbean, along with a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.

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