Oct. 24 (UPI) — The United States attacked a boat allegedly operated by a Venezuelan drug-smuggling operation, killing six people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday.
He said the attack happened overnight “along a known narco-trafficking route” in the Caribbean Sea under the direction of President Donald Trump. Hegseth added that the vessel was operated by Tren de Aragua, a Venezuela criminal organization considered a terror organization by the U.S. government.
“Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters — and was the first strike at night,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.
“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat al-Qaida. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down and kill you.”
Hegseth posted what appeared to be a night-vision video taken from the air of the attack on the boat.
It was the 10th attack the United States has carried on alleged drug boats, bringing the death toll in such attacks to 43 since Sept. 2. The eighth and ninth strikes took place Wednesday.
Trump said Wednesday the United States may begin hitting land targets in the fight against drug smuggling. He said the recent U.S. attacks have driven smuggling operations onto land.
“They had one today in the Pacific, and the way I look at it — every time I look — because it is violent and it is very — it’s amazing, the weaponry, you know they have these boats that go 45 to 50 miles an hour in the water, and when you look at the accuracy and the power — look, we have the greatest military in the world,” he said.
“We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. They haven’t experienced that yet, but now we are totally prepared to do that.”
While the Trump administration has deemed the alleged smuggler as terrorists, they don’t appear to meet the criteria. White drug traffickers tend to be motivated by money, terror organizations, by definition, are motivated by idealogical concerns.
Last week, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., proposed a bill to stop the Trump administration from launching a full-on war with Venezuela over the issue. Thought the president has the authority to defend the country from an imminent threat, the decision to official declare war rests solely with Congress.
The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, called on the United Nations to declare the United States’ actions illegal. Venezuelan officials said the families of at least some of those killed said their loved ones were fishing when they were killed.
Lisa Hornung contributed to this report.
Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.
The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025
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