JUST IN: Military Carries Out Second Strike On Manned Drug-Trafficking Boat

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he had authorized a military strike on a second manned drug-trafficking boat with ties to the Venezuelan government.

“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 president announced in a Truth Social post.

“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.”

The strike on a manned drug-trafficking boat marks the second of its kind after Trump authorized an identical strike on a boat last month. That boat was crewed by members of the Tren de Aragua street gang, which has runs extensive drug-trafficking operations that, according to the State Department, finance Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime.

“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike,” Trump’s post continued.

“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

The post was complete with a video of the strike, which shows a semi-submersible boat, commonly known as “narco submarines,” which ride low in the water, often with only a small portion of the vessel visible above the surface, making it difficult to detect. The vessel was then struck with a single strike fired from an overhead drone, resulting in a massive fireball.

The latest announcement comes on the heels of an early September strike that struck a larger vessel, killing all 11 TdA members onboard.

“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said at the time.

Over recent months, Washington has deployed a formidable array of assets to waters off Venezuela, including Aegis-equipped destroyers, an amphibious squadron, and a nuclear submarine. The force is supported by P-8 surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and Tomahawk-capable platforms, along with roughly 4,000 to 4,500 personnel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced earlier this month that strikes against Venezuelan drug-trafficking organizations — which have been designated as terrorist organizations — will continue. The news was met with support from Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), who wrote, “Fully support confronting the scourge of cartel drug trafficking to our nation,” in response to the secretary’s statement.

The U.S. government has long contended that Maduro is heavily involved in international cocaine trafficking and other criminal enterprises to keep his regime afloat. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a video statement last month.

To date, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, Bondi said. This figure includes“nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico,” the attorney general added.

In March 2020, Maduro was hit with a slew of federal charges in the Southern District of New York related to his drug trafficking operations, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. At the time, the Trump Administration was offering a $15 million reward for any information relating to Maduro’s capture.

Maduro’s regime has also been directly linked with the infiltration of the Tren de Aragua street gang in the United States. President Trump formally designated the gang as a terrorist organization back in February, citing infiltration of Venezuela’s security agencies, as well as support for the gang from Maduro’s regime.

The president further noted that Tren de Aragua has infiltrated top law enforcement and state security agencies in Venezuela. He specifically pointed to Tareck El Aissami, the current vice president of Venezuela, who previously served as governor of Aragua. During his tenure from 2012 through 2017, the group rapidly expanded in size and influence.