US Military Targets Drug Traffickers in the Caribbean
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses mentioned that the US military’s operation against drug traffickers in the Caribbean will not waver following a recent strike on Tuesday.
“We have aerial, maritime, and naval assets ready. This mission is serious and can be deadly, but this strike isn’t the end of it,” he stated.
On the same day, Trump remarked that a swift military operation had engaged “drug ships” in the Caribbean, linking it to Tren de Aragua, a gang operating out of Venezuela.
The vessel was intercepted in international waters during the morning operation, reportedly carrying “illegal” drugs intended for the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed the media that the ship was likely headed toward Trinidad and Tobago or another nearby nation.
“You’re addicted to our people. We have significant resources at our disposal. You’re trying to trade drugs. This is just the beginning,” Hegses added, noting that the operation resulted in the elimination of 11 drug traffickers.
Meanwhile, Freddinez, Venezuela’s Minister of Communication, claimed the footage of the strike shared by both Trump and Hegses was generated using artificial intelligence. Hegses dismissed this suggestion.
“That was definitely not AI. I witnessed it live. We understood precisely who was on that boat and what they were doing,” he asserted.
He also pointed out that the strike was part of a broader strategy to counter accusations against the President regarding the influx of fentanyl and other drugs from the region, amidst an increase in military presence in the Caribbean during Trump’s administration.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose administration has a $50 million bounty for US arrests, condemned the deployment of US military resources near Venezuela as a “luxurious, unjust, immoral, and absolutely criminal threat.”
When questioned about whether regime change was the US’s objective in Venezuela, Hegses said that decision rests with the President.
“It’s a decision to be made at the presidential level, and we’re mobilizing all available military assets,” the Defense Secretary concluded.
