Trump Confirms U.S. Strike Takes Out Narcoterrorist Boat Off Venezuelan Coast
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. forces carried out a lethal strike on a drug cartel-affiliated vessel in international waters near Venezuela, killing six narcoterrorists and continuing his administration’s aggressive campaign against transnational drug trafficking networks.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said the vessel was “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization” and was operating within the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. The strike, he confirmed, was carried out under his standing authorities as Commander-in-Chief.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route,” Trump wrote. “The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed.”
Footage reportedly captured from the scene showed a bright flash followed by an explosion as the vessel went up in flames, leaving no survivors. The targeted boat was believed to be moving drugs toward North America through a commonly used maritime smuggling corridor.
This marks the fifth such strike under Trump’s resumed war on cartels, bringing the death toll of suspected narcoterrorists to at least 27 in recent weeks. The effort is part of a larger military operation launched in August to confront what the administration describes as an “ongoing armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Wes Tabor, former head of the DEA’s Caracas office, told The Daily Wire that the current campaign represents a sharp escalation: “The permissive environment [cartels] long enjoyed is evaporating. Trump’s team is squeezing them.”
A White House memo from September emphasized the legal justification behind the actions, stating, “The United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations. We must use force in self-defense and defense of others.”
Despite backlash from Democrats and international criticism, Trump has defended the strategy as necessary to protect American lives and national security.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blasted the U.S. strike as an “attack on civilians,” accusing Trump of using military force to pressure his regime. “This was a military attack on civilians who were not at war and were not threatening any country,” Maduro claimed.
But Trump remained defiant. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!” he concluded in his post, signaling that more operations could be on the horizon.