With 'drug boat' strikes, Trump leans into war on terror tactic against cartels

Ryan Lucas

September 30, 2025 / 9:06 am

At a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, FBI Director Kash Patel celebrated the Trump administration's labeling of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and told lawmakers the United States should go after narcotraffickers like it did al-Qaida in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"We must treat them like the al-Qaidas of the world because that's how they're operating," Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Targeting cartels with law enforcement alone has failed to destroy them, he said, adding that the U.S. needs to bring other tools to bear.

"In order to eliminate them, and that's the key —eliminate the drug trade and eliminate the pouring int

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