The United States government has implemented an escalated anti-drug strategy this year, encompassing increased military involvement in interdiction efforts, the classification of fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, and the pursuit of "narco-terrorists." These measures, intended to mitigate drug overdose fatalities and enhance national security, have been accompanied by presidential pardons for individuals with drug trafficking connections, prompting varied reactions from policy experts and lawmakers regarding their consistency and effectiveness.
Shift Towards Militarized Anti-Drug Efforts
The Trump administration's national security strategy has elevated the fight against "narco-terrorists" as a key Defense Department priority. This strategy advocates for "the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy." This shift has included the designation of several drug cartels as terrorist organizations, the deployment of the U.S. Navy to target suspected drug vessels, and the classification of fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
Military Operations and Venezuela Intervention
U.S. military operations this year have included at least 22 attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, resulting in over 80 fatalities, according to an NPR analysis. Former President Trump stated that these strikes contribute to American safety, asserting that each interdiction saves "25,000 American lives."
In a specific military action in Venezuela, U.S. forces removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were subsequently charged with narcotics trafficking by the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department had initially charged Maduro in March 2020 with leading the Cartel de los Soles and involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). President Trump cited combating "deadly narco-terrorism" and a desire to seize Venezuela's oil fields as motivations for the military action. Andrés Martínez-Fernández, an expert at the Heritage Foundation, supported Maduro's removal, describing it as "a massive improvement over what we've had, which is a narco-dictatorship, which has been weaponizing drugs and mass migration against the United States."
Fentanyl Classified as Weapon of Mass Destruction
President Trump signed an executive order classifying the street drug fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). The order states that "The manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, primarily performed by organized criminal networks, threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere and at our borders." U.S. border czar Tom Homan indicated participation in a Department of Homeland Security briefing where officials discussed formally classifying fentanyl as a WMD. The Wall Street Journal reported a secret U.S. government memo authorizing military strikes in the Caribbean described fentanyl as a potential chemical weapon threat; NPR stated it could not independently verify this report.
Expert perspectives on the WMD designation vary:
- A 2019 report by the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction at the National Defense University concluded there was "no basis or need for, or net benefit to, officially designating fentanyl compounds as weapons of mass destruction."
- Jeffrey Singer, a drug policy expert at the Cato Institute, indicated that U.S. fentanyl deaths stem from widespread opioid addiction rather than deliberate weaponization by cartels.
- Globally, one documented instance of weaponized fentanyl gas occurred in 2002, perpetrated by the Russian government; no such cases have been reported in the U.S.
- Critics of the military strikes stated they were unaware of U.S. cases where fentanyl or other illicit drugs were used as weapons, or evidence that profit-driven cartels use street drugs to destabilize the U.S.
Administration's Claims and Data Comparison
Statements made by former President Trump and administration officials regarding drug deaths and interdiction impact have been compared with public health data:
- Former President Trump previously claimed "300 million people died last year from drugs." He also asserted that fentanyl has caused "Two to three hundred thousand people die every year."
- White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated, "The President is right – any boat bringing deadly poison to our shores has the potential to kill 25,000 Americans or more."
- Former Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed federal drug seizures during the first 100 days of Trump's second term "saved... 258 million American lives." Drug policy researchers described this figure as "wildly exaggerated."
- Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that U.S. drug overdose deaths have decreased since at least 2023, accounting for approximately 76,000 fatalities in a 12-month period.
- Fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. were approximately 48,000 last year, indicating a 27% decrease from the previous year.
- Cocaine, the drug predominantly trafficked through the Caribbean, was linked to approximately 22,000 U.S. deaths in 2024, a decline from the previous year, according to the latest provisional CDC data.
- This improvement is largely attributed to enhanced public health services, medical treatment for addiction, and increased law enforcement, which contributed to a reduction in fentanyl smuggling from Mexico last year.
Expert Scrutiny of Effectiveness and Potential Consequences
Experts specializing in criminal cartels and drug addiction generally indicate that military strikes on speedboats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific are unlikely to significantly reduce U.S. overdose deaths or the overall flow of drugs.
- Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on drug trafficking and addiction at the Brookings Institution, stated that the killing of drug mules has minimal effect on drug flow or criminal organizations. She noted that fentanyl, which accounts for the majority of U.S. drug deaths, is not primarily produced in Venezuela or smuggled on the targeted boats, with much of the illicit cocaine from Caribbean operations destined for non-U.S. countries.
- Jeffrey Singer, a drug policy expert at the Cato Institute, expressed concern that increased interdiction efforts could lead cartels to shift production towards more potent and easily smuggled synthetic substances such as fentanyl, methamphetamines, and nitazenes. He also stated that equating smugglers selling illegal substances to an act of war is problematic, advocating for arrests and trials for suspected criminal drug dealers instead of military strikes. Most drug policy experts also suggest that a WMD designation is unlikely to reduce the street drug supply or slow overdose deaths in the U.S.
Presidential Pardons and Clemency Actions
Concurrent with the militarized anti-drug approach, the administration's record on pardons and clemency for individuals linked to drug-related offenses has drawn scrutiny.
- Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted in federal court on drug trafficking and weapons charges, received a pardon. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) commented on this action. Former President Trump stated that his decision was based on his belief that Hernández was unfairly prosecuted, without providing specific evidence. He also commented, "There are many people fighting for Honduras, very good people that I know, and they think he was treated horribly, and they asked me to do it, and I said I'll do it."
- Pardons during the Trump administration included Ross Ulbricht, creator of the Silk Road criminal website used for drug trafficking, and clemency was granted to Larry Hoover, former leader of the Gangster Disciples drug gang.
- Key MS-13 drug gang informants, including Cesar Humberto Lopez-Lario, were returned to El Salvador. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia raised concerns regarding this decision.
- During his first term in 2020, high-level Mexican military official Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was released from U.S. custody with all criminal charges dropped, despite evidence of alleged ties to a Mexican drug cartel.
Experts such as Felbab-Brown and Singer have raised concerns that these pardons undermine the U.S. military's "get tough" approach and create "mixed messages." Singer expressed skepticism regarding narcotics interdiction as the sole or primary goal of military operations, citing the administration's pattern of leniency and warned of using criminal drug charges to justify military action against another country without Congressional authorization.
Support for the Militarized Approach
Some conservative drug policy experts support the administration's militarized approach. Andrés Martínez-Fernández at the Heritage Foundation stated that "drastic action" is necessary and that designating cartels as terrorist organizations was overdue. He views military action and these designations as "appropriate" and "necessary to confront these threats." Martínez-Fernández acknowledged concerns over Trump's pardons as "fair, to a degree," but suggested that targeted pardons combined with military and diplomatic pressure could leverage better cooperation against drug cartels from governments in the Western Hemisphere. Felbab-Brown also indicated that the threat of tariffs and the designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations created significant pressure on the Sheinbaum administration in Mexico for counter-narcotics cooperation, though she believes the overall impact on drug trafficking will be minimal.