**President Trump Signals Potential Land Strikes Against Drug Cartels Across the Americas**
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced that military strikes targeting drug cartels could take place “anywhere,” including Mexico as well as countries in Central and South America.
“We’re going to hit the cartels,” Trump told The Post in an exclusive Oval Office interview on Friday. “We know their routes. We know everything about them. We know their homes. We know everything about them. We’re going to hit the cartels.”
When asked if these strikes might occur on land in Mexico, Venezuela, or Colombia, the president responded simply, “Could be anywhere.”
Most foreign-produced illicit drugs available in the United States are smuggled overland through the borders with Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Canada, according to the Justice Department.
Trump boasted that military strikes have stopped 97 percent of drugs transported by sea. He expressed a desire to see similar success targeting drug trafficking “on land.”
This announcement follows recent U.S. military action in Venezuela, where forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who has been implicated in facilitating cartel operations.
The Trump administration has also pressured Mexico to permit U.S. forces to enter the country to assist in combating drug trafficking.
However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed back against speculation of a possible U.S. invasion or military strikes on Mexican soil. “I don’t believe in an invasion; I don’t even think it’s something they’re taking very seriously,” she said earlier this month.
Sheinbaum added, “On several occasions, he has insisted that the US Army be allowed to enter Mexico. We have said no very firmly first because we defend our sovereignty, and second because it is not necessary.”
Mexico has intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking domestically. Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch stated on Tuesday that 37 additional detained members of Mexican drug cartels have been sent to the United States, bringing the total to 92 individuals transferred.
As the situation develops, the U.S. and Mexico continue to navigate a complex partnership in the fight against drug cartels while balancing issues of sovereignty and security.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/24/us-news/trump-reveals-to-the-post-on-land-drug-strikes-could-hit-anywhere-including-mexico-central-and-south-america/