Washington (EFE). – The United States military on Monday struck a second vessel in the Caribbean that, United States President Donald Trump said, was carrying drugs and three suspected Venezuelan traffickers who were killed in the attack.
The operation, ordered by Trump, comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas after a previous US strike earlier this month that killed 11 people.
“This morning, under my orders, US Military Forces carried out a SECOND kinetic strike against identified and extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narco-terrorists in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the vessel was in international waters and that “no members of the US Armed Forces were wounded.”
He warned: “IF YOU TRANSPORT DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE WILL HUNT YOU!”
US officials have described the operations as part of an effort to disrupt maritime drug shipments from Venezuela to markets in the hemisphere.
The White House has not publicly released full operational details, citing security concerns.
The earlier strike, on Sep. 2, sank a vessel Washington said was linked to the Tren de Aragua gang. Caracas has denied those claims.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of tolerating or directing criminal networks, labeling some groups “narco-terrorists” and offering large rewards for information on Maduro’s alleged illicit activities.
Caracas rejects those accusations as politically motivated.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the strike as an act of “aggression” and said communications with the United States had largely been severed, while Caracas insisted the victims were not members of organized criminal groups named by Washington.
Maduro said Venezuela is “more prepared” for any eventual armed confrontation and criticized US actions as part of a broader campaign of pressure.
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