President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. military forces carried out a successful strike on a Venezuelan drug vessel in international waters, killing 11 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) criminal organization.
The operation, conducted in the southern Caribbean, marks the latest escalation in Trump’s broader campaign against foreign narco-terrorist groups targeting the United States.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump revealed the strike had taken place just moments before his press conference. “Over the last few minutes, [we] literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat,” he said. “A lot of drugs in that boat. And you’ll be seeing that, and you’ll be reading about that.”
Strike Carried Out in SOUTHCOM Waters
The President later posted video footage of the incident on Truth Social, confirming the boat was targeted in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility.
According to Trump, the vessel was operating in international waters and transporting illegal narcotics intended for the United States.
“The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action,” Trump wrote. “No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
The administration has identified the attackers as members of the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal group recently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The group has been linked to multiple forms of illicit activity, including drug smuggling, human trafficking, and violence throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Congressional Support and Broader Mission
Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), a strong advocate for aggressive anti-cartel action, praised the operation. “This is going swimmingly,” he wrote on X. “We continue.” Gimenez also suggested the vessel belonged to the Cartel de los soles, another group with connections to the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
The strike came just hours before Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed for Mexico City. Speaking to reporters, Rubio reinforced the administration’s commitment to targeting foreign cartels.
“The President has been very clear that he’s going to use the full power of America and the full might of the United States to take on and eradicate these drug cartels,” Rubio said. “Those days are over.”
Rubio added that cocaine and fentanyl trafficked from Venezuela often enter U.S. territory via Puerto Rico, making maritime interdiction a critical part of Trump’s counter-narcotics strategy.
Maduro Ties and Ongoing Threats
According to Trump, Tren de Aragua operates under the direct control of Nicolás Maduro. In his post, the President described TdA as responsible for
“mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.”
The Maduro regime responded to the strike by accusing the U.S. of using artificial intelligence to create “fake” video evidence of the attack. Venezuelan officials claimed the vessel was not engaged in drug trafficking and alleged the footage was manufactured to justify U.S. military aggression in the region.
No further details were provided by the U.S. Department of Defense at the time of publication. Officials have not yet disclosed the type of aircraft or naval asset used in the strike, nor the precise location of the incident.
