{"id":2515456,"date":"2025-11-28T11:31:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/op-ed-trump-has-the-right-to-strike-narcoterrorist-boats-before-they-reach-our-shores\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:34:17","slug":"op-ed-trump-has-the-right-to-strike-narcoterrorist-boats-before-they-reach-our-shores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/op-ed-trump-has-the-right-to-strike-narcoterrorist-boats-before-they-reach-our-shores\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-Ed: Trump Has the Right to Strike Narcoterrorist Boats Before They Reach Our Shores"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fop-ed-trump-has-the-right-to-strike-narcoterrorist-boats-before-they-reach-our-shores%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2515456&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article defends President Trump&#8217;s decision to authorize targeted strikes on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >drug trafficking vessels departing<\/a> from Venezuela&#8217;s coast. It argues that thes actions are lawful, justified, and necessary due to the Maduro regime&#8217;s complicity in facilitating narcotics smuggling. Under Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, Venezuela has become a haven for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackburn-cartels-traffickers-exploiting-unfinished-border-wall-construction\/\" title=\"Blackburn: Cartels, Traffickers Exploiting Unfinished Border Wall Construction\">transnational criminal organizations<\/a> and drug cartels, which use unregistered, stateless vessels to transport cocaine and fentanyl precursors toward the United states. The author, south Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, emphasizes that U.S. laws such as the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act provide clear authority for these interdictions. He stresses that confronting the drug trade at its source is vital to protecting American communities from the devastating impacts of narcotics. The article concludes that strong leadership requires action against threats where they originate and praises President Trump for taking decisive steps to combat narco-terrorism emanating from Venezuela.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>President Trump&rsquo;s decision to authorize targeted strikes on drug-running vessels leaving the Venezuelan coast has drawn predictable criticism from academics and international bureaucrats. The truth is simple. These actions are lawful, justified, and long overdue. And the Maduro regime created the very threat the United States is now forced to confront.<\/p>\n<p>As a state Attorney General and a former combat veteran, I believe the legal case is solid and the national security need is undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Venezuela has acted less like a sovereign nation and more like a staging ground and willing host for transnational cartels, terrorist affiliates, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-sending-us-officials-to-mexico-following-johnson-plea-to-fix-border\/\" title=\"Biden heeds Johnson&#039;s plea, dispatches US officials to Mexico to address border issue\">organized criminal networks<\/a>. Under Nicol&aacute;s Maduro&rsquo;s corrupt and collapsing regime, this rogue country has become a launchpad for cocaine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-trump-administration-announces-another-strike-alleged-drug-carrying-boat-pacific-ocean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traffickers<\/a>, a sanctuary for violent groups, and a partner of convenience for every anti-American actor in the hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p>These drug boats do not leave Venezuelan shores by accident. They leave because the regime profits from them. They leave because Caracas has abandoned any pretense of controlling its own territory. And they leave because Maduro could not care less how many Americans overdose and die as a result.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s why President Trump is right to act. These are not harmless fishing skiffs. They are stateless, unflagged ghost vessels and semi-submersible craft designed to evade detection while carrying tons of deadly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-takes-narco-terrorist-fight-new-level-strike-drug-runners-pacific-ocean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">narcotics<\/a> and fentanyl precursors. They have become the maritime arm of cartel empires that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Our Congress recognized long ago that the United States has the authority to act against these threats before they make landfall.<\/p>\n<p>The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act allows the United States to interdict stateless vessels or foreign flagged vessels with flag state consent. The Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act makes it a federal crime simply to operate certain unregistered craft on the high seas with intent to evade detection. These laws form a clear legal foundation for decisive action, and President Trump is operating well within that authority.<\/p>\n<p>The president&rsquo;s critics try to frame this as reckless escalation. It is not. It is the natural extension of congressional judgment and the president&rsquo;s constitutional authority to defend this nation. International law supports it too. Stateless vessels enjoy no protections under the law of the sea, and every nation retains the inherent right of self-defense. When drug networks operating openly off the coast of Venezuela push toxic chemicals and narcotics toward our border, the United States has every right, and our president has a sworn duty, to stop them.<\/p>\n<p>Maduro stole his last election and can&rsquo;t be trusted to clean up this mess. A functioning, responsible government would never allow its coastal waters to become a superhighway for narcoterrorist groups. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/secret-us-target-list-venezuela-cartel-leaked-strike-trump-signs-off-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Venezuela<\/a> under Maduro is nothing more than a failed state propped up by criminal profit. Its institutions are hollow. Its military is corrupt. And while its people suffer, its leaders enrich themselves by enabling the very cartels tearing American communities apart.<\/p>\n<p>As Attorney General of South Carolina, I see firsthand the devastation these drugs inflict on my state&rsquo;s families. Our sheriffs, police chiefs, and prosecutors do everything they can, but they are fighting a tough battle to protect our families. The challenge for all of us begins long before the poison reaches our borders, and President Trump is right to take that fight to the source.<\/p>\n<p>Strong leadership means confronting threats where they originate, and President Trump understands that. Venezuela has enabled the cartels. And America is now safer because the President of the United States is taking action. God bless President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alan Wilson was elected South Carolina&rsquo;s 51st Attorney General in 2010. His X handle is @AGAlanWilson.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><i><b>The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either d or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/submitop-ed\/\">here<\/a>.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump&#8217;s choice to approve targeted attacks on drug-smuggling boats departing from Venezuela&#8217;s coast has faced expected backlash from scholars and international officials. However, the reality is straightforward: these measures are legal, warranted, and long overdue. The Maduro government is responsible for creating the threat that the U.S. now must address<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2515457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-11-28T002149.824.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[67862,65230,50611,15322,3634],"class_list":["post-2515456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-maritime-defense","tag-narcoterrorism","tag-national-security-2","tag-op-ed","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-11-28T002149.824.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2515456"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2515460,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515456\/revisions\/2515460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2515456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2515456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2515456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}