The US intensified pressure on Latin America to crack down on cartels, pledging to help some countries and threatening military force against others.
Mexico agreed to expand cooperation with Washington, and Ecuador hopes to finalize new security accords during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s tour of the region. But Mexico — which has been threatened with steep US tariffs and even unilateral military intervention — has kept details of its deal under wraps, hoping “to avoid nationalistic backlash,” an expert told Bloomberg.
Meanwhile US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said military action against Latin America’s cartels would continue, a decision that came a day after the US Navy killed 11 alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers in a strike.