Trump frames strike as warning to traffickers
President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that US forces conducted a strike on a vessel reportedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel, killing 11 people. The operation occurred in international waters in the southern Caribbean, according to officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the boat as part of a common trafficking route from Venezuela and said the mission aimed to disrupt cartel activities in the region.
Trump defends action
On Truth Social, Trump said: “At my direction, US forces executed a kinetic strike against identified Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. This organization, operating under Nicolás Maduro, is responsible for killings, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and acts of terror across the Americas.”
He added: “Let this serve as a warning to anyone attempting to smuggle drugs into the United States—you will be stopped.”
Earlier this year, the US State Department designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and a global terrorist entity.
Rubio signals ongoing efforts
Before departing for Mexico and Ecuador, Rubio stressed that counter-narcotics operations would continue. “We will confront the cartels that are sending drugs into American communities and putting lives at risk,” he said. Asked about the legal authority for the strike, Rubio declined to provide details, noting only that the groups had been officially recognized as terrorist organizations.
Trump later told reporters that US forces had “just taken out a drug vessel” and suggested further actions were imminent.
Expanded US presence in the region
A senior defense official confirmed the strike was a “precision operation” but did not offer additional details. Reports indicate that more than 4,000 US Marines and sailors are deployed across the Caribbean and Latin America, strengthening Washington’s capacity to act directly against cartel networks.
Defense analyst Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said such operations are rarely disclosed publicly. “It wouldn’t surprise me if similar strikes have been carried out quietly,” he said.
Maduro condemns strike
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the attack as “criminal and violent” and stated that his government is prepared for “maximum readiness” in response to US military pressure.
The Trump administration had previously placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro, accusing him of directing cartel-linked drug trafficking.
The operation marks a significant escalation in US policy toward Latin American cartels, treating them as terrorist threats and authorizing direct military action.
