US President Donald Trump announced on September 30 that his administration would expand surveillance of drug shipments entering the country by land, following recent military strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean.

The measures come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, with Trump alleging that the Venezuelan government orchestrates an international trafficking network known as the Cartel of the Suns.

Speaking to reporters whilst travelling to a meeting with military leaders, Trump said operations against several boats had successfully halted maritime drug shipments. "All you have to do is look at the cargo that was scattered across the ocean, large bags of cocaine everywhere," he said, adding that land routes were now the focus of US efforts.

At a separate event with senior armed forces officials, he stated that Washington was actively disrupting Venezuelan drug operations and warned of decisive retaliation against threats to US citizens.

Since early September, US forces have conducted at least two strikes on speedboats in international waters near Venezuela. The latest operation resulted in three fatalities and included footage released by Trump showing a vessel struck in the open sea. He characterised the casualties as suspected traffickers and acknowledged collateral effects on local fisheries, asserting the actions were necessary to prevent drugs from entering the US.

The first strike on September 2 reportedly killed 11 crew members of a vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who argued that arrests alone were insufficient. The US maintains a presence of eight warships, including a nuclear submarine, and roughly 4,500 personnel in the southern Caribbean as part of its anti-trafficking strategy.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the operations as acts of military aggression, asserting that Caracas was exercising its right to self-defence under international law and denouncing what he called Washington's judicial, political, diplomatic and military pressures aimed at unseating him from power.

In response to the escalating crisis, Venezuela activated extraordinary constitutional measures on September 29, granting Maduro sweeping security powers under a "State of External Commotion" decree. The emergency provisions, valid for an initial 90 days, empower the president to mobilise armed forces nationwide and assert government control over critical infrastructure, including the oil industry and public services. Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez denounced the American naval presence as a violation of the UN Charter, whilst Venezuela's military has begun conducting training exercises with civilian militia members in preparation for what officials describe as a possible American invasion.