Trump Considers Attacking Venezuelan Drug Cartels Operating Groundly

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said his government was considering attacking a drug cartel "coming by land" in Venezuela. The US military previously attacked several vessels claimed to be carrying illegal drugs from the country.

"Now we will see the cartel," he told reporters as he left the White House.

"We will look very seriously at the cartels that come by land," Trump continued.

Trump previously said the recent US attacks on ships carrying suspected Venezuelan drug dealers gave a stern warning to anyone wishing to smuggle drugs into the United States.

"To every killer terrorist who smuggles toxic drugs into the United States, please be careful that we will destroy you," Trump said in a speech at the United Nations (UN).

Trump insists that without evidence every ship attacked by US troops contained drugs that could kill more than 25,000 Americans.

He also repeated his statement by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro leading the drug trafficking network, which Maduro denies.

Reuters reported on Saturday that Maduro had offered to engage in direct negotiations with the Trump administration through special envoy Richard Grenell days after the US's first attack on a ship from the South American country, which killed 11 people.

In his letter to Trump, Maduro rejected US claims accusing Venezuela of playing a major role in drug trafficking.

Maduro said only 5% of the drugs produced in Colombia were shipped via Venezuela - which according to him 70% of which had been neutralized and culled by Venezuelan authorities.

On Friday last week, Trump announced at least a third attack on suspected drug ships from Venezuela amid a large buildup of the US military in the southern Caribbean that includes seven warships, nuclear-powered submarines, and F-35 stealth fighters.