US Deploys F-35s to Puerto Rico to Fight Drug Cartels

The United States is preparing to deploy ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of an operation against drug cartels.

This was reported by Reuters, with reference to sources familiar with the Pentagon’s plans.

According to their information, the F-35s will be involved in operations against certain narcoterrorist organizations operating in the southern Caribbean region.

The planes are expected to arrive by the end of next week.

The decision to deploy the fighter jets was made after an incident on Tuesday when U.S. forces attacked a boat that Trump said was transporting “massive amounts of drugs” from Venezuela. The strike killed 11 people.

The buildup of forces increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called “the de facto king of the drug war.”

As a reminder, on September 4, two F-16 fighter jets of the Venezuelan Air Force flew over the USS Jason Dunham destroyer. CBS News was unable to find out whether the American ship took any action in response to the incident.