Three Suspected Venezuelan Drug Traffickers Killed as US Sinks Second Boat
Trump claimed the vessel was in international waters transporting drugs and that three Venezuelan men died during the attack.
The United States sank a second boat in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, allegedly carrying three Venezuelan drug traffickers, President Donald Trump announced. He said the three occupants, whom he described as “terrorists,” died in the attack. “This morning, at my direction, the United States Military Forces conducted a SECOND kinetic strike against identified and extraordinarily violent drug cartels and narco-terrorists in the Southern Command area of responsibility,” the president detailed on the Truth Social platform. Trump said the boat was in international waters transporting drugs and that three Venezuelan men, whom he defined as “terrorists,” died during the attack. The president added that no members of the US Armed Forces were injured in the operation.
“ATTENTION! IF YOU’RE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE’RE GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN!” he concluded.
In subsequent statements to the press in the Oval Office, Trump asserted that the video of the operation, which shows the moment the boat was attacked, proves that the vessel was transporting drug shipments such as cocaine and fentanyl on the high seas. “Just look at the cargo that was scattered all over the ocean. Large bags of cocaine and fentanyl everywhere. We have video evidence because we knew you were going to ask us,” he told reporters. The United States destroyed the first boat on September 2, which, according to Washington, was transporting drugs and eleven alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, something that the government of Nicolás Maduro has flatly denied, in addition to condemning the attack.
The second attack comes amid the growing confrontation between the United States and Venezuela following the US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea under the guise of combating drug trafficking. The Trump administration accuses Maduro of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a claim denied by the Caracas government, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the Venezuelan leader’s capture. Maduro stated this Monday that communications with the United States are “broken down” in the face of what he considers “aggression” by the North American nation, adding that Venezuela is now “more prepared” if an “armed struggle” were to arise.
