We lose around 80,000 Americans every year to drug overdoses — down from 110,000 the year before, but still a staggering number. To put that into perspective:

• Vietnam War: ~58,000 Americans dead.

• World War II: ~438,000 Americans dead.

• Global War on Terror (2000–2020): fewer deaths than a single year of overdoses in the U.S.

Think about that. We now lose more Americans to overdoses every month than we lost in all of Iraq or Afghanistan.If another country were directly killing that many Americans, we would have mobilized our entire military long ago.

And yet, when it’s the cartels — fueled by foreign governments and driven by profit — we shrug and call it a “drug problem.”

The Mexican cartels operate like paramilitary insurgent groups.

• They use armored convoys, belt-fed machine guns, and weaponized drones.

• Hundreds of drone attacks have been recorded in Mexico this year alone.

• Cartels hold territory where Mexican government forces dare not go.

This is warfare — cheap, brutal, and aimed directly at the United States.

The Fentanyl Pipeline

The number one killer today is fentanyl. Cartels in Mexico manufacture it with chemicals supplied mostly by China and, to a lesser extent, India.

Do we really believe Beijing doesn’t know what those bulk chemical sales are being used for? Of course they know. That’s not business. That’s mass poisoning.

CBP seizures underline the scale: 27,000 pounds in 2023, 22,000 pounds in 2024, with nearly 20,000 pounds seized by August alone. Two milligrams — barely a sprinkle — can kill a person. That means what’s being smuggled in every year is enough to kill the U.S. population many times over.

I just wrapped up one of the most powerful interviews I’ve done in a long while — with my friend Hillel Fuld. Many of you may already know him: a tech entrepreneur turned advocate for Israel who has become one of the most influential voices online since October 7th. His story, his warnings, and his call to action are worth your time. Let me break it down for you.

From Tech to the Front Lines of Information

Hillel was born in New York and moved to Israel 30 years ago. For years, he thrived in the country’s booming tech sector, consulting and working with startups. But tragedy struck when his brother was murdered in a terrorist attack seven years ago, and the Hamas massacre on October 7th sealed his decision to put everything else aside.

He shut down his successful business and dedicated himself full-time to defending Israel in the digital space. As a result, over four billion impressions on social media — most of them engaging with audiences predisposed to be anti-Israel. Why? Because he built credibility over years, and now he’s using that platform to counter lies with facts, to challenge hatred with truth.

Before October 7th, Hillel wrote online that the global situation — U.S. tensions with Iran and China, Russia’s war in Ukraine, bitter division in Israel and America — made it clear something big was coming. He didn’t predict the exact attack, but he knew Israel would be at the center. Sadly, he was right.

Now, he feels that same ominous weight again. He is afraid that a large-scale terrorist attack will happen against Jews in the U.S. or Europe. He hopes he’s wrong — desperately hopes — but as he put it, the trajectory is undeniable. Anti-Semitism is exploding. Attacks on Jews are up over 800% in the U.S. alone. Synagogues are being firebombed, Jews are assaulted in broad daylight, mobs wave terror flags in Western capitals, and governments do little or nothing.

His Holocaust-survivor aunt summed it up in two chilling words: “The same.”

Today I want to bring your attention to a brewing crisis that could soon erupt in the Western Hemisphere: Venezuela. And it goes way beyond socialism or oil. We're talking about narco-terrorism, gold cartels, foreign militias, and even the possibility of U.S. boots on the ground.

From Prosperity to Predation

Venezuela, once one of the richest countries in Latin America, has become a failed state under Hugo Chavez and now the illegitimate strongman, Nicolas Maduro. The economy collapsed. Kidnapping became a growth industry. And over 8 million Venezuelans have fled, many of them ending up in the United States under lax border enforcement during the Biden administration.

I have a lot of friends who are Venezuelan, and I admire them. But here's the truth: the culture of dependency and normalized criminality that permeates Venezuela doesn't just disappear when people cross the border. That reality has consequences.

The Cartel de los Soles

The real threat isn’t just failed socialism. It’s that Venezuela has become a full-fledged narco-state. Maduro and his cronies are at the center of a shadowy network known as the Cartel de los Soles — made up of military and government elites trafficking cocaine and laundering gold.

Yes, gold. These guys make more money from illegal gold mining than drugs. I’ve been on the ground in Colombia and seen the devastation firsthand: mercury poisoning rivers, miners risking their lives, and terrorist groups taxing every shovel-full.

Why the U.S. Cares

The Trump administration recently escalated things by placing a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head. That’s not just about ideology. It’s because Maduro is engaged in asymmetric warfare against the U.S. — using drugs, gold, and foreign allies like Russia, China, and Hezbollah to undermine American society.

4,000 U.S. Marines are now headed to the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. Navy ships and Coast Guard cutters are in motion. And the Pentagon has been green-lit to take kinetic action against the cartels.

Sound familiar? It should. I was there when we parachuted into Panama in 1989 to remove Manuel Noriega. Maduro could be next.

The Guyana Flashpoint

As if that's not enough, Venezuela is now saber-rattling over oil-rich territory in neighboring Guyana. Maduro claims half of Guyana belongs to Venezuela. Why? Because Guyana struck it rich with light, sweet crude — far more valuable than Venezuela’s dirty, hard-to-extract reserves.

There are rumors flying of a U.S. military buildup in Guyana. And while some of that is exaggerated, it’s true that we’re training with Guyanese forces and flying combat patrols. The U.S. isn't just defending Guyana’s sovereignty; we’re protecting our own strategic interests.

Mercenaries, Militia, and Madness

Maduro says he’ll mobilize 4.5 million factory workers and farmers into militias. That’s a joke. He doesn’t even trust his own military. That’s why he surrounds himself with Cuban and Russian mercenaries. But money talks — and with $50 million on the line, don't be surprised if some of his protectors turn into bounty hunters.

I've seen this up close. I once got roped into a secret meeting with Venezuelan defectors planning to overthrow Maduro. I backed away, reported it to the embassy, and sure enough, some of those same guys later launched a failed coup. Two American Green Berets were caught and are still rotting in Venezuelan prison.

A Real Risk to the U.S.

This isn’t just a Latin American problem. With Hezbollah operatives smuggled into the U.S. via Venezuela, suicide drones manufactured there with Iranian help, and widespread corruption, this is a clear and present danger to America.

Could this escalate into war? Possibly. But what’s more likely is covert operations, private military action, and targeted strikes. Still, if Venezuela hits back — say, with suicide drones on U.S. soil — all bets are off.

Final Thought

Venezuela is a failed state led by a criminal cartel that masquerades as a government. And while Americans are busy arguing over pronouns and plastic straws, our enemies are plotting how to destroy us from within.

We better wake up.

Comment below your thoughts about this. If you missed the live, you can watch it HERE