The Dominican Republic announced on September 22nd, 2025, that it seized 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat that was destroyed by the U.S. Navy, according to a New York Post report citing an X post. In parallel, the White House is circulating a draft bill that would significantly expand President Donald Trump's authority to conduct military operations against "drug cartels" without prior congressional approval, according to reporting by The New Republic citing an expert. This proposed legislation has been described as a "blank check to use force anywhere in the world against anyone he designates a narco-terrorist." This development follows a period where a United Nations mission confirmed "crimes against humanity" in Venezuela and noted a deepening of repression after recent elections, as presented at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC60) earlier today. The UN mission detailed that the government "put into operation the hardest methods of its repressive machinery." Spanish ships acquired by Venezuela 20 years ago are reportedly being mobilized by the government in anticipation of potential "armed struggle."
