US deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for drug cartel fight

5/9/2025 16:16

The U.S. has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to conduct operations against drug cartels, two sources briefed on the matter said, in a move likely to further inflame tensions in the region.



The advanced fighter jets will be added to an already bristling U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump carries out a campaign pledge to crack down on groups he blames for funneling drugs into the United States.



Friday's development comes three days after U.S. forces attacked a boat that Trump said was carrying "massive amounts of drugs" from Venezuela, killing 11 people. The strike appeared to set the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America.



The sources said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations operating in the southern Caribbean. The planes should arrive in the area by late next week, they said.



The U.S. has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks, with the aim of carrying out Trump's crackdown.