A senior Army Green Beret used his inside knowledge of clandestine operations to make more than $400,000 by betting on the timing of Operation Absolute Resolve, the Jan. 3 mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.
Federal prosecutors said Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was part of the team that planned and executed the mission. He is accused of using his access to classified military information to make wagers on its outcome with Polymarket, a prediction marketplace.
In 2025, Polymarket began offering betting contracts related to whether certain events involving Mr. Maduro and Venezuela would take place. They included predictions of the likelihood that U.S. troops would be in Venezuela by certain dates, whether the now-arrested leader would be taken into custody, and whether President Trump would invoke “war powers” against Caracas.
WASHINGTON — The latest U.S. military strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed three people Sunday, according to a social media post by U.S. Southern Command.
The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has gone on since early September and killed at least 186 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea.
The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
After Sunday’s attack, Southern Command posted a video on X showing a boat moving swiftly in the water before a explosion left it in flames. It repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
The US Embassy said the killed US officials were “supporting Chihuahua state authorities’ efforts to combat cartel operations.”
Two Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers were killed in Mexico over the weekend while returning from an operation targeting Cartel-affiliated drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua. They died in a vehicle crash along with two Mexican investigators, who were also involved in the operation, authorities said.
The circumstances surround the crash are under investigation, according to CNN. This comes as President Trump has repeatedly stated his intention to dismantle the Cartels, pressuring Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to crack down on their drug labs. The US Embassy said that the killed US officials were “supporting Chihuahua state authorities’ efforts to combat cartel operations.”
President Sheinbaum claimed during a Tuesday press conference that her administration was “not aware of any direct work or coordination” between the state of Chihuahua and the US Embassy in Mexico. She added that Mexico does not permit joint operations with foreign governments and that work is limited to intelligence sharing.
Don’t look now, but Big Oil is making big moves to secure positions in the expanding Venezuelan oil industry as part of the Trump Administration’s plans to revitalize the country’s economy.
On Monday, Chevron officials signed a pair of deals to expand the company’s footprint in the prolific Orinoco Belt as Shell prepares to ink a major deal of its own later this week.
Make no mistake: These deals didn’t happen in a vacuum. They are the direct result of the Trump administration’s bold decision to remove Nicolás Maduro in January, launch a $100 billion reconstruction plan for the country’s shattered energy sector, and push through sweeping reforms to Venezuela’s hydrocarbon law. After years of socialist mismanagement that turned one of the world’s richest oil nations into an economic basket case, sanity is finally returning.
The U.S. military said Sunday that it blew up two boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor, as the Trump administration pursues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America while preparing a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
from www.washingtontimes.com
Ecuador began two weeks of operations against drug traffickers with support from the U.S., deploying thousands of police officers and soldiers on March 15.
The two-week campaign will target criminal gangs in several dangerous provinces, including Guayas, Los Rios and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, according to the Washington Examiner. The U.S. will provide material support. Officials have imposed curfews from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in coastal regions until March 30.
“We’re at war,” Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg told locals in several provinces, the BBC reported. “Don’t take any risks, don’t go out, stay at home.”
He announced that Ecuador was deploying over 75,000 soldiers and police officers for the campaign, according to the outlet. Reimberg also wrote that 35,000 police officers were deployed in Guayas, Los Rios, El Oro and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas in a post on X. “To the mafias: your time is up. Nothing can stop us,” the post said.
35 mil efectivos de @PoliciaEcuador desplegados en Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas y El Oro. Listos por 🇪🇨.
President Donald Trump announced the formation of a 17-nation pact committed to defeating the drug cartels in the Americas. The pact was announced at an event at Trump National Doral called “the Shield of the Americas summit.” These are the members of the coalition: Argentina, El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Belize. Notably missing from this list is Mexico, which is close to civil war thanks the activity of the cartels in that country.
“The president announced a comprehensive military and economic coalition designed to eliminate cartel operations throughout the Western Hemisphere. The 17-nation pact includes provisions for joint military operations, intelligence sharing, and coordinated border enforcement. Trump emphasized that cartels would be designated as foreign terrorist organizations, opening the door for unprecedented military action against drug trafficking networks.”
Mexican cartels have begun avoiding direct attacks on Americans in Mexico because President Donald Trump has made clear that violent drug trafficking organizations now face the possibility of U.S. military action. Trump’s harder regional strategy raises the stakes for cartel violence against American citizens and businesses operating south of the border.
Trump encouraged regional leaders gathered at his Miami-area golf club to take military action against drug trafficking cartels and transnational gangs that he says pose an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security.
“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Trump said. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.” Citing the U.S.-led coalition that confronted the Islamic State group in the Middle East, the Republican president said that “we must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home.”
Happy Friday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Uzubuk felt that his joyful approach to his slaughterhouse days were what made him the haikuist that he’d become.
Many, many thanks to Chris for filling in for me on very short notice. My sister and niece blew into town unannounced from Michigan to surprise me and were only here for 36 hours. Chris kindly offered to free up some time for me to spend with them.
We’ve talked about it before, but it’s worth repeating — President Trump and his administration work at a furious pace compared to previous administrations. The president’s work ethic infuses the entire administration, which enables everyone to keep a lot of balls in the air. That’s a very good thing given how many messes were inherited from the Biden administration and the general state of the world today.
President Donald Trump said oil production is “beginning to flow” from Venezuela as Washington and Caracas work together to restore energy output following the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, describing cooperation between the two countries as productive.
“Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well,” Trump wrote.
The United States and Venezuela have officially restored diplomatic and consular relations that President Trump claims will lead to favorable oil and rare earth mineral deals for the U.S., deals that freeze Russia and China out of the equation. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said of the agreement, “When we are working together it can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world.”
U.S. Restores Diplomatic Ties With Venezuela In Historic Agreement – Trending Politics
The United States and Venezuela have formally agreed to restore diplomatic and consular relations, marking a significant shift in their bilateral ties after years of tension.
The announcement was formally made on Thursday after several weeks of improving relations, which started after the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in a daring raid last month.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were last in place until January 2019, when the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president amid disputes over the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s re-election. In response, Maduro’s government severed ties, leading to the closure of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and Venezuela’s embassy in Washington, D.C.
Consular services were suspended, and diplomatic personnel were withdrawn as a result of the move. This limited interactions between the two countries to indirect channels, while the U.S. placed extensive economic sanctions on Maduro’s regime.
Formal rapprochement began in the days following Maduro’s capture, when Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in as acting president and quickly signaled openness to dialogue. On January 9, the Venezuelan government issued a statement indicating the start of an “exploratory diplomatic process” with the U.S., aimed at re-establishing diplomatic missions in both countries.
Then-Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez meets with the Russian government in September 2024
By late January, the U.S. notified Congress of plans to implement a phased approach to resuming embassy functions, including sending temporary staff for select diplomatic activities. Discussions expanded to include economic cooperation, particularly in energy and mining sectors, as the Trump administration sought to reduce reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals and oil.
In February, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas reopened for limited operations, and Venezuela released several political prisoners as part of reconciliation efforts.
These moves paid the way for the most high-profile milestone to date, when U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Caracas for two days. The secretary met with President Rodriguez and representatives from U.S. mining and energy firms, with talks centered on investment opportunities and security assurances for foreign companies operating in Venezuela’s mineral-rich regions.
“When we are working together it can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world,” Burgum said following the meeting.
The restoration of relations is expected to facilitate phased improvements in areas such as visa services, trade, and security cooperation. The agreement aligns with U.S. goals of fostering a democratic transition, which could soon lead to easing of sanctions and more detailed framework on economic agreements.
The U.S. military assisted Ecuador with a land operation against cartels on Tuesday night.
I believe it’s the first land operation since the U.S. started striking suspected narco boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
In total, the military has performed 43 strikes on boats, killing 150 people.
“On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador,” U.S. Southern Command wrote on X. “The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.”
On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador. The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.
On Sunday, February 22, 2026, a raid led by the Mexican army and supported by U.S. assets successfully eliminated the top cartel leader in the region, “El Mencho,” or Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. He was the general of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He was killed in the town of Tapalpa, Jalisco.
Since his death, his well-armed and well-equipped militia has responded by launching terror attacks on multiple cities throughout Mexico, leaving foreigners, including Americans, stranded. Road blocks were set up by the cartels where they took cars. 25 Mexican National Guardsmen have been killed in coordinated attacks, with the total estimated deaths so far placed at 60. The Mexican President, Caludia Sheinbaum, claims they’ve stopped the road blocks, but video footage continues to come out suggesting otherwise. The situation is still fluid in Mexico.
This is what the Democrats want to bring to our beloved nation.
🚨UPDATE: Puerto Vallarta is now a WAR-ZONE
Mexican military forces are now in direct, heavy clashes with raging CJNG cartel gunmen across Jalisco following today’s confirmed killing of kingpin El Mencho.
Violence and shelter-in-place orders are rippling out across Mexico after the military killed a cartel leader commonly known as ‘El Mencho.’ Andrew Chang explains how Jalisco New Generation, arguably Mexico’s most dangerous cartel, has been building a criminal empire for several years.
Mexico is awash in violence. And the country’s stringent gun control laws aren’t helping.
On Feb. 22, the Mexican military carried out an operation that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Mexican armed forces were reportedly trained by a small cadre of U.S. Navy SEALs who entered the country on a “training mission” approved by Mexico’s Senate.
CJNG responded to El Mencho’s death with wanton violence. The cartel murdered no fewer than 25 Mexican National Guard members and set up no fewer than 250 roadblocks. Schools were closed, and flights at airports were grounded. Dozens of buildings were burned. The savagery spanned multiple jurisdictions. By day’s end, at least 60 people had been slaughtered.
“Mexico must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!” Trump wrote on social media, reiterating a message he has conveyed on numerous previous occasions.
While the U.S. president didn’t explicitly refer to the operation that resulted in the death of Oseguera, other U.S. government officials did. Here is what they said.
Are you a Canadian in Puerto Vallarta right now? Reach out to us at shareyourstory@globalnews.ca with information on what you are experiencing and how we can get in touch with you.
There are currently more than 26,000 Canadians registered in Mexico as cartel violence hits the popular tourist area of Puerto Vallarta — and no plans for military or consular flights to assist Canadians getting out, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said.
Anand said the federal government is working on plans to “assist,” but did not share further details and said Mexican authorities have told her that they expect the situation to “normalize.”
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The United States has reportedly played a role in the Mexican military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
On Sunday, Oseguera Cervantes, who led one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal gangs and was a rival to the Sinaloa Cartel, was killed in the operation. The US State Department had previously offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest.
Drones are increasingly violating American airspace. We know that tens of thousands of drone sightings on our southern border are connected with the Mexican drug and human trafficking cartels. But dozens of other drone sightings at sensitive military installations suggest hostile nation-state actors, most likely China.
As drone operations in Russia’s war on Ukraine show, the threat is no longer hypothetical — it is active and escalating. Unfortunately, a dangerous combination of bureaucratic inertia and misplaced priorities has left our borders and military installations vulnerable.
The Mexican state of Jalisco will remain under a “code red” Monday, with public transport and schools remaining closed, its governor said Sunday. The announcement follows a day of violence in the coastal city of Puerto Vallarta in the wake of a government announcement that the head of one of the country’s most powerful crime groups was dead.
Smoke from burning vehicles blackened the sky in Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination on the Pacific coast. Similar scenes played out in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, and across several states on Sunday morning.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged Mexicans to remain calm and stay well-informed after a federal operation targeting Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes triggered a violent response from cartel henchmen.
The federal Defense Ministry said that Oseguera died while being transported by air to Mexico City after he was wounded by federal forces during an operation on Sunday morning in the municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco.
President Sheinbaum urged calm after a military raid killed one of Mexico’s most-wanted crime lords on Sunday morning, triggering blockades by cartel operatives in multiple states. (X)
According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the FAA had to avert a serious cartel drone attack on U.S. soil. The FAA shut down airspace around El Paso immediately to allow for a military response to the attack. The Secretary said “The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
Did a Mexican cartel just try to attack El Paso? – mexiconewsdaily.com
The airspace over El Paso, Texas, was closed late Tuesday after Mexican cartel drones breached the airspace, according to reports by the Associated Press and CNN that cited U.S. government sources.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy subsequently said on social media that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of War (DOW) “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.”
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.
The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.
“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region,” he wrote on X Wednesday morning.
Earlier on Wednesday, the FAA announced on social media that the “temporary closure” of airspace over El Paso had been lifted, just hours after it said in a Notice to Airmen that aircraft could not fly above El Paso for 10 days, from Feb. 11 to Feb. 21, for “Special Security Reasons.”
“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the unnamed official told CNN.
“The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”
AP said that the official it spoke to didn’t say how many drones breached the airspace above El Paso — located opposite Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua — or explain what specifically was done to disable the unmanned aerial vehicles.
NBC News and ABC News also reported that they were told by a Trump administration official that Mexican cartel drones had breached U.S. airspace, but the DOW disabled them.
The Texas Tribune acknowledged that the U.S. government “says the unusual closure was triggered by Mexican cartel drones breaching U.S. airspace,” but said that information contradicted “an industry source who said it was because of an impasse with the Department of Defense [as the DOW was previously known] over the use of unmanned military aircraft.”
“An industry official, who had been briefed on the matter by the FAA in a morning call and asked not to be identified, told the Tribune that the Defense Department has been operating unmanned aircraft, or drones, against drug cartel operations from a base near El Paso’s airport without sharing information with the FAA,” the Tribune reported.
“It has to do with the FAA’s inability to predict where [unmanned aircraft systems] might be flying,” the official told the Tribune. “They have been operating outside the normal flight paths.”
For its part, The New York Times reported that officials “offered conflicting explanations for a temporary closure of airspace over El Paso.”
It noted that Duffy and other U.S. government officials attributed the closure to a breach of U.S. airspace by Mexican cartel drones, but added that “two people briefed by Trump administration officials said the shutdown was prompted by the Defense Department’s use of new counter-drone technology and concerns about the risks it could pose to other aircraft in the area.”
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy attributed the closure to incoming cartel-controlled drones. Other officials gave a different, less alarmist explanation. (@SecDuffy/X)
Mexican cartel drones have previously breached U.S. airspace, according to a senior Trump administration official.
Last July, Steven Willoughby, a high-ranking official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that “nearly every day, transnational criminal organizations use drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband across U.S. borders and to conduct hostile surveillance of law enforcement.”
He asserted that it was “only a matter of time” before Mexican criminal organizations carried out drone attacks against U.S. citizens and law enforcement authorities.
In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up its fight against drug trafficking, launching numerous attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is accused of leading a drug-trafficking organization.
