Inside Trump’s Secret War: DOJ Legal Opinion Authorises Strikes On Hidden List Of Drug Cartels

A classified legal opinion from the US Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) has granted President Donald Trump broad authority to conduct lethal strikes against a secret list of drug cartels, CNN reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. The opinion argues the president can authorise deadly force against traffickers who pose an imminent threat to Americans — effectively framing cartels as enemy combatants rather than criminal groups.According to legal experts, the OLC memo could justify an open-ended campaign of lethal force against targets not publicly designated as terrorist organisations. “By this logic, any small, medium or big group that is trafficking drugs into the US could be treated as waging an attack against the United States,” said a former Pentagon lawyer quoted by CNN.Pentagon and CIA Lean on Memo for Covert ActionA Defence Department memo to lawmakers last week cited the OLC’s opinion to justify a series of US military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. The Pentagon claimed the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, with traffickers labelled as “unlawful combatants.” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at least four lethal strikes in recent weeks, including one that killed four people.Meanwhile, sources told CNN that the CIA’s authorities have been quietly expanded to include lethal targeting against cartel actors in Mexico and Venezuela. This follows Trump’s classified directive empowering both the military and intelligence community to “neutralise” transnational cartels operating in Latin America.Legal and Ethical Concerns Within the PentagonWithin the Department of Defense, several Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers and international law experts have reportedly raised concerns about the legality of such strikes. “The way forward is just to eat it and act in accordance with the Secretary’s policies,” one current JAG officer said anonymously.Lawmakers have requested a copy of the OLC opinion, but neither the DOJ nor the Pentagon has provided it to Congress. Attorney General Pam Bondi is expected to face questions on Capitol Hill over the administration’s expanding definition of “armed conflict” in the global war on drugs.