Trump calls operation a warning to drug traffickers
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that US forces had conducted a strike against a vessel allegedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel, resulting in 11 fatalities. The operation took place in international waters in the southern Caribbean, according to officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ship had departed from Venezuela and described the strike as part of an effort to disrupt the cartel’s operations in the region.
Trump defends the action
On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “At my direction, US forces executed a kinetic strike on confirmed Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists within SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. This organization, under Nicolás Maduro, has been responsible for murders, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and acts of terror across the Americas.”
He added: “Let this be a clear warning to anyone considering bringing drugs into the United States—you will be stopped.”
The State Department had designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and global terrorist entity earlier this year.
Rubio promises continued efforts
Before departing for Mexico and Ecuador, Rubio emphasized that the counter-narcotics campaign would continue. “We will confront the cartels responsible for flooding American communities with drugs and taking lives,” he said. Asked about the legal authority for the strike, he declined to provide specifics, noting that the groups had already been officially designated as terrorist organizations.
Trump later told reporters that US forces had “just taken out a drug vessel” and indicated that additional operations were forthcoming.
Heightened US presence
A senior defense official confirmed the strike was a “precision operation” but declined further details. Reports indicate that over 4,000 US Marines and sailors are deployed across the Caribbean and Latin America, strengthening the military’s ability to act directly against cartel networks.
Tom Karako, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that such operations are often undisclosed. “It wouldn’t be surprising if similar strikes have already occurred quietly,” he said.
Maduro condemns the strike
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro criticized the attack, calling it “criminal and violent.” He stated that his government is prepared for “maximum readiness” in response to Washington’s pressure.
The Trump administration had previously placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro, accusing him of overseeing cartel-linked drug trafficking.
The strike marks a notable escalation in US policy toward Latin American cartels, treating them as terrorist threats and authorizing direct military action.
