US forces have killed four people in an attack on a boat off the coast of Venezuela that was allegedly trafficking drugs, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says.
The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people, Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
This is part of a series of recent strikes by the US in international waters targeting vessels believed to be involved in drug trafficking.
Hegseth affirmed that the attack occurred in the US Southern Command's jurisdiction, which includes the majority of South America and the Caribbean.
Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, and those onboard were narco-terrorists, he stated.
President Trump echoed the strike announcement on his Truth Social platform, claiming the vessel held enough drugs to kill between 25,000 to 50,000 individuals. Nonetheless, the US has yet to provide evidence to substantiate these claims or the identities of those onboard.
The strikes have drawn condemnation from various nations, including Venezuela and Colombia, with some legal experts labeling the actions as breaches of international law.
Currently, the Venezuelan government has not responded to this specific strike, although President Nicolás Maduro previously condemned past US military interventions.
This recent strike marks the fourth offensive of its kind executed by the US within a single month.
Earlier in September, Trump reported that 11 people were killed in a previous strike against another drug vessel in the Caribbean.
The growing military actions have led to a leaked US memo indicating the government views its operations as part of a non-international armed conflict against drug cartels, which could permit more extensive military engagements against perceived threats.
Legal concerns continue to mount as analysts question the legitimacy of framing drug trafficking as an armed attack, a categorization that empowers the administration to justify more aggressive military responses.
