President Donald Trump announced Monday that U.S. military forces carried out a second strike against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas amid a broader crackdown on the international drug trade.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics … The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike.”
The president framed the action as part of a continuing mission to defend Americans from the flow of illegal narcotics, warning in all-caps to traffickers: “Be warned — if you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you!”
The announcement came amid a period of heightened friction between the United States and Venezuela. Washington has long accused the government of Nicolás Maduro of enabling or turning a blind eye to drug trafficking networks tied to powerful cartels. U.S. officials have argued that these networks not only destabilize the region but also threaten American communities by flooding the market with cocaine and other narcotics.
The Trump administration previously sanctioned senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the military, for alleged involvement in trafficking. In 2020, the Justice Department indicted Maduro and several top aides on charges of “narco-terrorism,” accusing them of conspiring with Colombian rebels to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States. Caracas has consistently denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Trump’s emphasis on direct U.S. military action underscores a more aggressive approach than previous enforcement measures, which often relied on intelligence sharing, interdictions, and law enforcement cooperation with regional allies. Conducted under U.S. Southern Command, the operations signal a willingness to project American power into international waters to target suspected traffickers.
While Trump said no U.S. forces were harmed, analysts warn that repeated strikes on vessels linked to Venezuela risk sparking a wider confrontation with Maduro’s government, which maintains support from allies such as Russia and Iran.
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