President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. forces carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-laden vessel that departed Venezuela, killing 11 members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang.
Trump first revealed the attack at a White House press briefing, telling reporters, “We, just over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat.”
He later confirmed the details on Truth Social, where he said the terrorists were “positively identified” in waters under U.S. Southern Command.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump posted. “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. 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!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the president’s message, calling the operation a “lethal strike” on a vessel run by a “designated narco-terrorist organization.”
He noted the action came as the U.S. has stepped up its counter-drug operations in the Caribbean, deploying naval and air assets close to Venezuela’s northern coast. Rubio made his remarks before departing for Mexico and Ecuador for talks on drug cartels, tariffs, and regional security.
The strike is part of a broader Trump administration effort to choke off drug flows from Latin America. The U.S. has designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, doubled its reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, and labeled his regime a “narcoterror cartel.”
Trump and senior officials have repeatedly accused Maduro of leading a trafficking network known as the Cartel de los Soles, which they say works with groups like Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Maduro has rejected the accusations, calling them a false narrative meant to oust him from power. His government has pointed to United Nations reports that claim traffickers use Venezuela for only a small percentage of cocaine shipments compared to Colombia, Bolivia, or Ecuador.
Still, Caracas has responded to U.S. naval deployments by massing troops along the coast and encouraging civilians to join militias. On Monday, Maduro vowed he would “constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if attacked.
The U.S. strike marks one of the most forceful demonstrations of American power in the Caribbean under Trump’s presidency. Administration officials have not signaled plans for U.S. forces to set foot on Venezuelan soil, but they have kept the option open.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month that Trump “is prepared to use every element of American power” to stop the drug flow and hold Maduro’s regime accountable.
For Trump, the operation highlights his tough stance on drugs and border security, sending a direct warning to traffickers who attempt to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. “We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time,” the president said, adding that Venezuelan shipments have been “very heavy” in recent months.