U.S. military operations against Latin American drug smugglers in the past month have repeatedly echoed the tactics and jargon of the post-9/11 global war against terrorist groups https://t.co/Q9rdyeynks ...

A U.S. military aircraft struck a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean several times from the air last week, even though the vessel had turned around before the strike began https://t.co/s2zw6jXSON ...

US Foreign Policy & Military Action - The Pentagon criticizes Venezuela's fighter jets flying near a US Navy ship as a provocative maneuver [1] - A US strike in international waters killed 11 people on a boat allegedly connected to Venezuelan drug gangs [1] - Democrats are seeking answers regarding the legal justification for the US strike [2] - The Trump administration defends the strike as a necessary measure against drug cartels, arguing that a 2% loss of cargo is factored into their economics [6] - Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US will blow up drug cartels to combat them [6] Drug War & Opioid Epidemic - Senator Gene Shaheen supports stopping drug cartels but cautions against actions that could escalate conflict and endanger military personnel [3][4][9] - There is a need for more information on the intelligence that led to the strike on the drug-carrying boat [5] - Senator Shaheen highlights the opioid epidemic's impact on New Hampshire, emphasizing the need for effective action against drug cartels [3][8][10] - New Hampshire had seen progress in reducing overdose deaths through interdiction, treatment, and recovery efforts, but funding for these programs has been cut [11][12] Defense Spending & Priorities - Senator Shaheen expresses concern that renaming the Defense Department to the Department of War could cost billions and distract from military readiness [13][14][15] - Focus should be on the readiness of troops and addressing conflicts around the world rather than on a name change [14][15]

And here we are just a stones throw from the border. Crazy to think that when they found this tunnel, it was only about half this size. What you're going to be going into is an actual tunnel built by the bad guys.All right, so we've made it about 20 ft down. But this is where this system really opens up stretching back this way. The majority of the tunnels much deeper than this one.Most of them. Yeah, 20 ft. It doesn't really seem like we went anywhere to be honest with you.We've had them as deep as 98 ft b ...

Border Security & Drug Enforcement - US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is actively combating cartels by intercepting smuggling tunnels along the US-Mexico border [1][2] - Intercepting tunnels significantly impacts cartels, potentially costing them a year's worth of labor and drug trafficking profits [3] - CBP discovered a nearly 3,000 foot long tunnel, 50 feet underground, intended for illicit activities [6] Human Smuggling Concerns - Human smugglers are exploiting the underground tunnels, potentially advertising safe passage for profit [4][5] - Videos suggest migrants, including adults and children, are attempting to enter the US through tunnels, with some messages written in Chinese [4] - The authenticity of the videos showing human smuggling is unverified by NBC News and CBP [5] Tunnel Characteristics & Methods - Smugglers design tunnels with features like ventilation systems (bounce house blower) and metal rails for transporting large quantities of drugs [3] - Tunnels can be large enough to walk through [4] - Cartels aim for tunnels to emerge in warehouses within the US [6]

More than a dozen arrested in Spain over animal feed drug smuggling https://t.co/eZ064QVeRc ...

'Angel Delight' drug smugglers avoid death penalty https://t.co/xv4nFOSJVv ...