Trump announces second U.S. strike on alleged Venezuelan drug boat

President Trump said Monday the U.S. military carried out a second strike on alleged Venezuelan “narcoterrorists” in international waters.

In a post on Truth Social, he announced that the strike killed three “male terrorists” accused of transporting illegal drugs. The post included a video showing a strike on a boat. He did not specify the location, only noting it was in the U.S. Southern Command’s area, which covers the Caribbean and South America.

“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!” — President Trump

Trump said the strike occurred Monday morning. He told reporters, “We have proof” the boat’s passengers carried drugs.

“All you have to do is look at the cargo that was … spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place,” Trump said.

The attack followed another strike two weeks earlier in the Caribbean that Trump said killed 11 people. CBS News previously reported the boat appeared to be turning around when it was hit.

Trump added Monday that his administration plans to target drug cartels moving narcotics over land “the same way we stopped the boats.”

Rising U.S.–Venezuela Tensions

Relations between Washington and Caracas have escalated as Trump accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of working with gangs and drug cartels — charges Venezuela rejects.

Last month, the Trump administration doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million.
U.S. defense officials say seven or eight warships are now near the Caribbean, with F-35s deployed in Puerto Rico as part of a larger buildup.
Venezuela called the naval presence an “absolutely criminal and bloody threat” and stationed troops along its coast.

Earlier this month, Venezuelan jets flew near a U.S. ship in what Pentagon officials described as a “show of force” and a “game of chicken.”

On Saturday, Venezuela accused the U.S. of boarding and seizing a fishing boat for eight hours, calling it a “direct provocation” and accusing Washington of seeking a pretext to oust Maduro.

So far, there is no indication the U.S. plans a strike on Venezuelan territory.