Leaked Memo Shows Venezuela War Plans: Trump Weighs Obliterating Military Airfield if Maduro Regime 'Doesn’t Step Up Pressure on Drug Cartels' — and U.S. Forces Have Already Rehearsed Mission
A leaked memo revealed Donald Trump has considered attacks on Venezuela over drug cartels.
Sept. 10 2025, Published 1:19 p.m. ET
A leaked memo has exposed the Trump administration's Venezuela war plans, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Military insiders alleged Donald Trump has considered ordering strikes on crucial targets if Nicolás Maduro doesn't ramp up his efforts to crack down on drug cartels.
Earlier this week Venezuela taunted U.S Navy ships stationed in the Caribbean with military jet flyovers.
Leaked Plans Show Attacks on Venezuelan Military Aircraft and Airfields
Military insiders claimed Trump has considered attack plans if Nicolás Maduro does not crack down on drug cartels.
Plans allegedly detailed possible U.S. attacks on Venezuelan military aircraft as well as bombing entire airfields.
Military insiders reportedly claimed leveling an airfield would be a low-stakes strike in the event Trump decided to use military force against the Maduro regime.
Meanwhile, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chairman Gen. Dan Caine traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday, September 8 to inspect aircraft following a controversial strike on a small boat suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean last week.
The Trump administration recently renamed the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
While visiting Puerto Rico, Hegseth seemingly suggested the U.S. would continue to use lethal force as part of their reinvigorated war on drugs.
Hegseth said: "You're on mission. Narco terrorists and drug traffickers are on notice. We will no longer allow the poisoning of the American people. And the full power of the American military — used precisely with a clear mission — will be used to ensure the American people are kept safe."
While the Trump administration defended the controversial hit on the boat by insisting there were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang on board, critics pushed back and said the strike was a blatant violation of due process.
Sec. Pete Hegseth Defends US Strike on Small Boat
Sec. Pete Hegseth defended the controversial strike on a small boat in the Caribbean last week suspected of drug trafficking.
Hegseth doubled-down on the claim the U.S. faced an "invasion" of fentanyl from South American cartels requiring military strength.
He said of the strike: "A foreign terrorist organization poisoning your people with drugs coming from a drug cartel is no different than Al Qaeda, and they will be treated as such."
Now, a leaked ICE memo paints a clearer picture on the administration's alleged belief Venezuela is plotting to destroy the country from within.
The memo was reportedly produced in late 2024, at the end of the Biden administration, and was addressed to Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.
Leaked ICE Memo on Tren de Aragua
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Trump's Justice Department announced a $50million bounty for Maduro's arrest in August.
Then-Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner stated in the memo “emerging information surrounding TdA (Tren de Aragua) triggered a renewed focus within ICE" in Colorado.
ICE intelligence concluded "that members of TdA were establishing command and control centers in residential complexes in communities largely populated by Venezuelan nationals" in the U.S.
Lechleitner noted the agency "has been working with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners around the country, as well as the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado and the Colorado Judicial District Attorney Offices to identify, investigate, indict, arrest, disrupt, and dismantle TdA factions operating in Colorado."
The memo's leak follows the Department of Justice announcing a $50million bounty for Maduro's arrest, claiming he was the head of the TdA, in August.
