WASHINGTON — President Trump dramatically revealed Tuesday that the US military killed 11 people in a “drug-carrying boat” off the coast of Venezuela — days after deploying warships to the coast of the South American country.
“We just over the last few minutes, literally, shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat — a lot of drugs in that boat,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he had just been briefed on the mission by Gen. Dan “Raisin” Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the US military has conducted a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel that departed from Venezuela. REUTERS“We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country — coming in for a long time, and this came out of Venezuela, and coming out very heavily from Venezuela. Lot of things are coming out of Venezuela. We took it out,” Trump added.
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, the president published a video of the attack on a speed boat traveling across open water — asserting the craft’s occupants were members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere,” Trump wrote.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”
The USS Lake Erie Crosses the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal amid an US naval deployment near the coast of Venezuela in Panama City on Aug. 29, 2025 AFP via Getty ImagesSecretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X: “As [Trump] just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean [sic] against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.”
This is the first known attack on a cartel since Trump authorized the military to carry out such operations earlier this year.
The region is a major exporter of cocaine, but initial statements did not reveal the type of drug or drugs that the boat was carrying.
Trump in late August deployed three guided-missile destroyers and about 4,000 Marines to the Venezuelan coast — prompting the country’s authoritarian left-wing leader Maduro to mobilize millions of militia members and claim an invasion was imminent.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday accused the United States of seeking regime change in his country amid a naval buildup in the Caribbean. AFP via Getty ImagesThe Trump administration has branded the Cuba-aligned strongman, in power since 2013, as a drug cartel leader and fugitive from justice.
The US government in early August offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
“The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is a narco-terror cartel,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing last week. “Maduro is not a legitimate president, he is a fugitive from this drug cartel.”
“Maduro’s reign of terror is ending,” a source close to the administration told The Post Tuesday in response to the strike. “And President Trump’s historic mission to secure the Western Hemisphere is just getting started.”
