US strike sinks Venezuela drug boat, 11 killed
US President Donald Trump replies to a question during an event to announce that the Space Force Command will move from Colorado to Alabama, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 2, 2025. Photo: Reuters
The US military killed 11 people on Tuesday in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, President Donald Trump said, in the first known operation since his administration's recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean.
"We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"And there's more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time ... These came out of Venezuela."
He later shared a video on his Truth Social platform that appeared to show footage from overhead drones of a speedboat at sea exploding and then on fire.
"The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No US Forces were harmed in this strike," Trump said.
Trump post on Truth Social platform.
He added that the US military had identified the crew as members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the US designated a terrorist group in February.
He repeated allegations that Tren de Aragua is being controlled by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, accusations that Caracas denies.
Venezuela's Communications Minister, Freddy Nanez, suggested in a post on social media that the video shared by Trump was created with artificial intelligence.
Footage of the incident shared also by Venezuela's Communications Minister, Freddy Nanez.
Reuters conducted initial checks on the video, including a review of its visual elements using a manipulation detection tool which did not show evidence of manipulation.
However, thorough verification is an ongoing process, and Reuters will continue to review the footage as more information becomes available.
The Pentagon has not released specifics about the attack, including what kind of drugs were on board, the quantity, or how the strike was carried out.
Read: Venezuela terms US naval buildup a ‘criminal threat’
The decision to blow up a suspected drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of seizing the vessel and apprehending its crew, is highly unusual and evokes memories of the US fight against militant groups like al Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda was a broad-based militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s as a logistical network to support Muslims fighting against the Soviet Union during the Afghan War but then later became one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations after carrying out the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"'Being suspected of carrying drugs' doesn't carry a death sentence," said Adam Isacson, Director for Defense Oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, in a post on X.
Lethal force against a civilian vessel in international waters is a war crime if not in self-defense, which this video does not show. Only non-lethal actions, like warning shots or disabling fire, are allowed.
“Being suspected of carrying drugs” doesn't carry a death sentence. https://t.co/6Zal0bkY9wThe United States has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks with the aim of following through on a pledge by Trump to crack down on drug cartels.
The United States has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks with the aim of following through on a pledge by Trump to crack down on drug cartels.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have escalated in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels central to his administration’s efforts to curb migration and secure the southern border.
Maduro, along with senior officials such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, has dismissed US accusations and claims the naval buildup is a pretext for intervention. “A situation like this has never been seen,” Maduro told journalists and military officers.
In August, the United States doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, citing alleged drug trafficking ties and links to criminal organizations.
Tuesday's strike appeared to be the first such military operation in the region to that effect.
While US Coast Guard and Navy ships regularly operate in the Southern Caribbean, the current buildup exceeds the usual deployments in the region.
In the naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale.
Some can carry aerial assets like helicopters while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.