Donald Trump secretly authorised the CIA to spy on Venezuela in an escalation of his drug war with Nicolas Maduro, the country’s president.

The decree would allow American agents to carry out lethal operations in the country and the Caribbean, where the administration has been targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs to the United States.

Some 27 people have been killed in a series of strikes on vessels that the Trump administration said were transporting illegal narcotics in the waters off Venezuela in recent weeks.

The decree would allow the spy agency to take covert action against Mr Maduro and his government. The Trump administration’s strategy aims to oust the authoritarian leader from power, according to the New York Times.

In August, the US justice department offered a $50m (£2.7m) reward for information leading to Mr Maduro’s arrest.

During Mr Trump’s first term, he charged Mr Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials with a range of offences, including narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking.