Washington DC - Officials at the Drug Enforcement Administration pushed for military strikes on Mexico in the weeks after President Donald Trump's inauguration, according to a new report.

According to the Washington Post, the DEA opened a discussion with the White House and Pentagon about the legality of potentially striking drug cartels and gangs on Mexican territory after Trump designated them as foreign terrorists.

Both Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's department and Trump pushed back against the suggestions, which caused alarm.

"The cartels have killed more Americans than any terrorist organization in the history of America, so they need to be held accountable," argued former DEA acting administrator Derek S. Maltz, per the Washington Post's sources.

Mexico Mexico considers new action against China amid pressure from US

The DEA had reportedly considered the terrorist designation of drug cartels as an authorization to use military force.

The report comes as the Trump administration continues to launch strikes on boats in Caribbean waters, claiming that the deadly attacks are targeting drug dealers and "narco-terrorists."

So far, no evidence has been provided that those killed – at least 14 people, according to Trump's posts – were involved in drug trafficking, which is at any rate not a capital crime.