A screen shot of video showing the alleged drugs smuggling vessel from Venezuela, as shared by President Donald Trump of Truth Social on September 2, 2025.
The U.S. military conducted a strike against a Venezuelan vessel in international waters on Tuesday, marking the first known operation since the Trump administration’s recent naval buildup in the Caribbean region.
President Donald Trump confirmed the operation in a Truth Social post, stating: “Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”
Trump identified the target as members of Tren de Aragua (TDA), “a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.”
According to the president’s statement, the strike resulted in 11 fatalities among those aboard the vessel, which was allegedly transporting illegal narcotics bound for the United States. No U.S. forces were reported harmed in the operation.
Trump earlier told reporters at the White House: “We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat.” He added, “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.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the operation on social media, describing it as “a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.”
The strike comes amid a significant U.S. naval buildup in the region, greatly excheeding the typical U.S. naval presence in the region. Seven U.S. warships and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are either currently deployed or expected to arrive soon in the southern Caribbean, bringing approximately 4,500 sailors and Marines to the area.
The naval force includes the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale, vessels capable of deploying helicopters and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Additionally, P-8 spy planes have been conducting intelligence-gathering missions over international waters in the region.
The Venezuelan Communications Ministry has not yet responded to the incident.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
The U.S. Coast Guard has taken a major step toward enhancing its Arctic and Antarctic operations with the award of a $137 million contract to for the modernization of Base...
U.S. naval forces continue to step up their engagement in the Arctic. While the Coast Guard now has two icebreakers operating in the Bering Sea simultaneously for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. Navy together with Norwegian allied forces dispatched a four-vessel flotilla to the North Cape at the very top of Norway.
By Nora Buli and Terje Solsvik OSLO, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Norway said on Sunday it had chosen Britain as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates in its biggest...
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
