In a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s war on drug cartels, the U.S. military carried out a strike on a vessel operated by Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel in the southern Caribbean Tuesday morning, killing 11 cartel members. It was the first reported use of military force under Trump’s newly declared campaign to target cartels as terrorist organizations.
According to U.S. Southern Command, the strike took place in international waters and involved three Aegis-class missile boats alongside other naval assets. Trump confirmed the action, declaring on Truth Social: “No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”
Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas… pic.twitter.com/2bEDDiZsRl
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) September 2, 2025
The targeted vessel belonged to Tren de Aragua, a cartel that emerged from Venezuela’s Aragua state prison and has since spread across the Western Hemisphere, writes The Daily Caller. In early August, the Trump administration formally designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, citing its role in murders, drug smuggling, and sex trafficking. Authorizing direct military action against such networks represents a sharp break from past U.S. practice, which relied on law enforcement-led interdiction.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have sharpened in recent weeks. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the U.S. buildup in the Caribbean in August as an “outlandish, bizarre threat of a declining empire.” He has since mobilized two million militia members and positioned ships and drones along the Venezuelan coast, vowing to defend “our seas, our skies and our lands.” U.S. officials, meanwhile, have stressed that the operation does not signal plans to strike Venezuelan territory, though the expanded naval presence — several warships and more than 4,000 Marines and sailors — underscores the administration’s willingness to apply military pressure.
Reaction to the strike has been mixed. Supporters in Congress argue that it sends a clear warning to cartels profiting from narcotics such as fentanyl, which continues to flood into the United States. Liberal critics, of course, have sided with the drug cartels and denounced the strike.
For decades, U.S. anti-narcotics strategy has relied on cooperation with law enforcement agencies and regional governments. By shifting to direct military operations, the Trump administration has opened a new front in America’s long war on drugs.
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