Second US Strike on Suspected Venezuelan Drug Boat Kills Three
The U.S. military conducted a lethal strike against a suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking vessel in international waters, President Donald Trump announced Monday.
“This morning, on my orders, U.S. military forces conducted a second kinetic strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the Southcom area of responsibility,” Trump said on Truth Social. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels pose a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and vital U.S. interests.”
Trump said three “male terrorists” aboard the vessel, allegedly transporting narcotics to the U.S. were killed. He added that no U.S. personnel were injured.
Trump released footage of the incident, showing a small vessel struck by a missile in rough seas.
“We have recorded proof and evidence. We know what time they were leaving, when they were leaving, what they had, and all of the other things that you’d like to have,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office late Monday.
Trump’s announcement comes less than two weeks after a previous strike in the same region killed 11 people allegedly tied to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Trump said future airstrikes might target Mexican cartels smuggling drugs by land, noting fewer boats had been observed in the Caribbean.
“There are literally no boats. This was a boat, and we were surprised to see it,” Trump said. “That means there’s no drugs coming by sea, but they do come by land. And you know what we’re telling the cartels right now, we’re going to be stopping them too. When they come by land, we’re going to be stopping them the same way we stopped the boats. And you’ll see that,” he said.
“But maybe by talking about it a little bit, it won’t happen. If it doesn’t happen, that’s good,” he added.
Exactly three days before the Monday strike, Venezuela alleged that a U.S. Navy team from the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat during counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that Coast Guard personnel aboard the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded the vessel after receiving a narcotics tip, but said no contraband was found.
The Pentagon has recently deployed the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, and 10 F-35 jets in the Caribbean in response to the increased tensions with Venezuela.
