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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump shared a video showing a U.S. strike on a vessel associated with the drug trade emerging from Venezuela.
In the same Truth Social post, the president revealed that 11 Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists were killed in the attack.
He initially announced the strike from the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon.
‘We just, minutes ago, targeted a drug-laden boat,’ Trump said to reporters. ‘There were a lot of drugs on that boat.’
The president said he had just been briefed on the matter by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Daniel ‘Razin’ Caine.
‘We’ve faced a continuous flow of drugs into our country, notably from Venezuela, and this vessel was no exception,’ he continued. ‘We eliminated the threat.’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio chimed in directly afterwards.
Senator Rubio confirmed the action, stating, ‘As @POTUS announced, the U.S. military executed a strategic strike on a drug vessel in the southern Caribbean, linked to a narco-terrorist group from Venezuela.’
Later, Trump jumped on Truth Social to share more details, including that no American military personnel were harmed.
The president warned, ‘Let this be a cautionary tale to anyone contemplating smuggling drugs into the U.S. BEWARE!’ punctuated with his signature: ‘Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!’
President Donald Trump announced a U.S. military operation against a vessel departing from Venezuela involved in the drug trade
President Donald Trump shared additional details about the strike in a Truth Social post Tuesday afternoon
Venezuela’s dictator Nicolas Maduro has been fuming over the U.S.’s increased military presence in the region.
Maduro, not recognized by the U.S. as Venezuela’s legitimate president after last year’s elections, responded with threats to mobilize defense forces if American forces attacked.
‘In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela,’ Maduro also said.
The Pentagon has deployed at least seven warships to the southern Caribbean.
Maduro characterized the escalation as ‘an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.’
Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro, saying he uses ‘foreign terrorist organizations’ to ‘bring deadly drugs and violence into our country.’
In the announcement, she said the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates and 7 tons of cocaine linked to the Venezuelan dictator personally.
She noted that cocaine is often laced with fentanyl, which has led to droves of American deaths.
The USS Sampson was docked near the entrance of the Panama Canal over the weekend amid a large buildup of U.S. naval forces in the southern Caribbean
‘Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,’ Bondi said.
Caracas has long denied Maduro’s ties to the drug cartels.
Trump campaigned on eradicating the drug trade.
Since taking office, the president has also surged resources to the southern border and threatened China with tariffs over fentanyl trafficking.
Last year, Maduro claimed victory in Venezuela’s presidential election over opponent Edmundo González in an election that international monitors said was neither free nor fair.
During his news conference on Monday, Maduro also continued to claim that he was the legitimate winner of the 2024 election.
