Trump claims strikes cut sea-borne drug flow to US by 94 percent amid legal concerns
Trump cites a major fall in sea drug flow and vows land action as questions mount over accuracy of data and the handling of suspected traffickers.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that illegal drugs entering the country by sea are down 94 percent and announced plans to begin similar operations on land.
"I'm trying to figure out who the other 6 percent is, because frankly, I think ... they got to be the bravest people," he said in Washington at the State Department Kennedy Center honours medal presentation dinner, referring to those still attempting to bring drugs into the country.
Trump said a similar process will begin on land, stating: "We know every route, we know every house, we know where they live. We know everything about them."
Critics contend that Trump tends to make up or exaggerate numbers in order to boost his reputation.
Trump described drug trafficking as "like a terrible war," suggesting that 300,000 people were killed by illegal drugs last year, and vowing not to let this happen.
The US has carried out at least 22 strikes in both the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean on boats suspected of transporting narcotics since September, killing at least 87 people.
Members of Congress have questioned the effectiveness of the strikes as well as their legality, as the administration has not produced evidence that the boats were actually carrying drugs, and those aboard were killed without being given a chance to prove their innocence.
New Venezuelan troops swore in
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan army swore in 5,600 soldiers on Saturday, as the US cranks up military pressure on the oil-producing country.
President Nicolas Maduro has called for stepped-up military recruitment after the US deployed a fleet of warships and the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns", which it declared a terrorist organization last month.
Maduro asserts the American deployment aims to overthrow him and seize the country's oil reserves.
"Under no circumstances will we allow an invasion by an imperialist force," Colonel Gabriel Rendon said Saturday during a ceremony at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, in Caracas.
According to official figures, Venezuela has around 200,000 troops and an additional 200,000 police officers.