U.S. Military Executes Third Strike on Drug Smuggling Vessel
Amid rising tensions, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. military conducted its third lethal strike this month against a vessel suspected of drug smuggling. The strike, which resulted in three deaths, targeted a vessel linked to a designated terrorist organization involved in narcotrafficking within the USSOUTHCOM’s jurisdiction. However, specific details regarding the strike’s location remain undisclosed.
The Pentagon referred all inquiries about the operation to the White House, which has yet to clarify the vessel’s origins. In a social media post, Trump stated, “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans.” Accompanying the statement was a video showing the vessel being hit by missiles, culminating in a fiery explosion.
White House communications director Steven Cheung commented on the video via X, saying, “It was at this moment, the narcoterrorists knew they screwed up.” This latest strike follows a similar operation earlier in the week against a Venezuelan boat allegedly transporting drugs, also resulting in three casualties.
Earlier this month, on September 2, another military action targeted a speedboat purportedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, resulting in 11 fatalities. This gang has been recognized as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Despite the Trump administration’s rationale that these military actions are crucial to curbing drug trafficking into the United States, the operations have sparked controversy. Lawmakers from both parties, alongside human rights groups, have raised concerns regarding the legality and potential executive overreach of these military interventions, typically used for law enforcement purposes.
The administration has yet to explain how intelligence was gathered on the vessels’ cargo and the alleged gang affiliations of those onboard before the strikes. National security officials briefed Congress members that the initial boat was fired upon when it altered its course toward the shore.
This aggressive stance represents a significant shift in U.S. strategy against drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, coinciding with a buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean. Speculation has arisen in Venezuela that these strikes may be part of a broader strategy to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro’s government, a theory Maduro himself has suggested.
In response to the initial attack, Maduro alleged that the U.S.-released video was fabricated using artificial intelligence, arguing that a vessel of such size couldn’t travel in open waters. He further accused the Trump administration of leveraging drug trafficking allegations as a pretext for a military campaign aimed at intimidation and regime change in Venezuela.
AP writers Regina Garcia Cano in Güiria, Venezuela, and Konstatin Toropin contributed reporting.
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