Washington — The U.S. military has destroyed a drug‑carrying boat from Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the Trump administration and the Venezuelan government.
President Trump broke the news during an unrelated Oval Office event, telling reporters the military had “shot out” the vessel “moments ago.” He said he was briefed on the operation by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Later, on Truth Social, Trump revealed that 11 people were killed in the strike. He said the target was members of Tren de Aragua — a Venezuela‑based organized crime group the U.S. has labeled a foreign terrorist organization. He also posted a video appearing to show a military strike obliterating a small boat.
“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump wrote.
Rubio, posting on X, called it a “lethal strike” in the southern Caribbean Sea. He said the “drug vessel” had departed Venezuela and was operated by a designated narco‑terrorist group. Speaking to reporters, Rubio suggested the drugs were likely bound for Trinidad and Tobago or another Caribbean nation. A senior defense official described the attack as a “precision strike.”
The operation comes just weeks after the U.S. announced it would boost its naval presence near Venezuela, sending three warships to the region as part of an anti‑cartel mission. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro slammed the move as an “extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat” and deployed his own forces to the coastline, vowing to defend against any U.S. attack.
The U.S. has not signaled any plans to strike Venezuela’s government directly.
For years, the Trump administration has accused Maduro’s regime — a longtime U.S. adversary — of working with drug cartels and groups like Tren de Aragua to traffic narcotics into the United States. Officials also allege Maduro leads a Venezuela‑based drug network known as the Cartel de los Soles. In 2020, U.S. federal prosecutors charged him with narco‑terrorism and drug trafficking.
Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. Maduro has denied all allegations, while Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil blasted Bondi’s move as “pathetic” and “crude political propaganda.”
CBS News previously reported that Trump had ordered the military to target drug cartels in Latin America last month.
