US Military Strike Kills 11 on Venezuelan Drug Boat Linked to Tren de Aragua

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out a deadly strike on a drug boat tied to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel, killing 11 people.

Trump said the attack took place in international waters in the southern Caribbean. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as a “lethal strike” against a vessel that had departed from Venezuela.

The move marks a major escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against Latin American drug cartels, raising concerns about regional stability. In a Truth Social post, Trump called Tren de Aragua a “designated Foreign Terrorist Organization” linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and accused the group of drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of terror.

“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump wrote.

The State Department formally designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year. U.S. defense officials confirmed a “precision strike” but did not provide further details.

Rubio, speaking before departing for Mexico and Ecuador, said the counter-drug mission would continue. “We are going to wage combat against drug cartels that are flooding American streets and killing Americans,” he said, adding that the Venezuela route was a common path for traffickers.

The U.S. has recently deployed more than 4,000 Marines and sailors across Latin America and the Caribbean to increase pressure on drug cartels. Maduro, who faces a $50 million U.S. bounty on drug trafficking charges, condemned the strike as an “extravagant threat” and vowed Venezuela would not “bow to threats.”

The Trump administration has pursued an aggressive strategy against the cartels, treating them as terrorist organizations and expanding the use of military force in the region.

Credit: CNN Newsource

Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.