Trump Addresses Military Action Against Drug Carrier
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. troops targeted a “drug carrier” in Venezuela on Tuesday, stating, “the ship had a lot of drugs.” At a press conference held in the Oval Office, Trump mentioned that he received a brief update from co-director Chairman Dan Kane regarding recent military actions against drug trafficking vessels.
“You leave the room and, well, you just… You literally shot the boat a few moments ago. You know, the one carrying drugs,” Trump explained. “There’s plenty of medicine on that boat. It’s true, you’ll read about it—it happened recently.”
Trump also praised the military’s actions, noting, “Our great general—a remarkable chief—has neutralized potential nuclear power capabilities in Iran. I think they could have achieved it within a month if we hadn’t intervened.” He further emphasized that drugs have been pouring into the U.S. for a long time, many of which have originated from Venezuela.
In a post on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio corroborated Trump’s claims, stating that U.S. forces successfully executed a “fatal strike” on a drug carrier operated by designated narco-terrorist organizations.
Rubio wrote, “As announced by @potus earlier, the U.S. military today departed from Venezuela and took decisive action in the Southern Caribbean against a drug ship linked to these organizations.”
Reports, including one from Christian K. Caruzo of Breitbart News, indicated that the U.S. had positioned three guided missile destroyers near Venezuelan waters as part of efforts to combat threats posed by Latin American drug cartels.
According to anonymous U.S. officials speaking to Reuters, approximately 4,000 sailors and Marines are part of the Trump administration’s strategy in the southern Caribbean. They also highlighted the involvement of several P-8 spy aircraft, warships, and at least one attack submarine to enhance military presence in the area over the coming months.
In response, the Venezuelan government has reached out to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to assist in stopping U.S. efforts aimed at combating drug cartels in international Caribbean waters.
