Trump Admin Blows Up Another ‘Narco-Trafficking’ Boat Near Venezuela

The U.S. military blew up another cartel boat off the coast of Venezuela, notching one more successful strike against drug trafficking in the continuing operation in the Southern Caribbean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday on X.

The strike, which occurred in the early morning Friday under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), killed all four males aboard a ship sailing in international waters, Hegseth said in the announcement. The bombing adds to a growing list of strikes against the violent criminal cartels trafficking drugs into the United States that have taken place since President Donald Trump designated them Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth said in his announcement on X. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”

The Trump administration is referring to cartel members killed in the strikes as “unlawful combatants” in a memo sent to Congress regarding a September 15 strike on one of the vessels being used for trafficking. A White House official told the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation that the memo was not notable and reflected standard procedure for strikes of this nature, saying the memo “does not convey any new information.”