Latin America

Historically, U.S. drug-control efforts in Latin America have typically involved cooperation with regional governments, including intelligence sharing, training, and aid packages.

Colombia produces approximately 70% of the world's cocaine.

U.S. counterdrug military operations have included strikes against vessels suspected of transporting illegal drugs with the stated objective of stopping narcotics from reaching U.S. cities.

Resumption of oil production and exports by foreign oil companies can provide a financial lifeline to the national government in the country where those operations occur.

Governments use terrorist-organization designations for criminal cartels and associated officials as a foreign-policy tool to increase pressure on target governments.

Authorization for a multinational oil company to resume pumping and exporting oil can restore export revenue that serves as a financial lifeline to a sanctioned government's finances; for example, U.S. authorization allowing Chevron Corp. to resume Venezuelan oil exports provided a revenue stream to Nicolás Maduro's government.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration created the FBI Joint Task Force Vulcan in 2019 to dismantle Latin American criminal organizations, and it was originally intended to target the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

The name 'Cartel de Los Soles' is used to refer to a purported Venezuelan drug-smuggling organization.