US EditionUS Military Strikes Another Suspected Drug Boat, Killing Four
The strike killed four people aboard a suspected narcotics vessel in international waters as part of the U.S. armed conflict with drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
- On Oct. 3, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced U.S. forces struck an alleged drug-smuggling boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing four people on President Donald Trump's orders.
- The administration has framed the campaign as an "armed conflict" with drug cartels after earlier designating them as "foreign terrorist organizations," the White House memo to Congress argued.
- Video released by the War Department shows overhead drone footage of the destroyed vessel, with Hegseth stating, `The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics`.
- Lawmakers and human rights groups questioned the strikes' legality, while Venezuela denounced the U.S. action as an "illegal incursion" and President Nicolas Maduro signaled a possible state of emergency.
- A sustained maritime buildup includes eight warships with over 5,000 sailors and Marines, and at least 21 fatalities in the past month as officials signal possible expansion to land targets.
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446 Articles
Why we need to take Trump's Drug War very seriously
Donald Trump has long been a fan of using the U.S. military to wage a more vigorous war against drug cartels in Latin America. He also shows signs of using that justification as a pretext to oust regimes considered hostile to other U.S. interests. The most recent incident in the administration’s escalating antidrug campaign took place on October 3 when “Secretary of War” Mike Hegseth announced that U.S. naval forces had sunk yet another small bo…
US strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat near Venezuela kills four
The US military has struck a boat that was allegedly trafficking drugs off the Venezuelan coast, killing four. On Friday (3 October), Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared footage of the strike, which shows a small speed boat exploding into flames whilst sailing in the Caribbean. Hegseth claimed that the boat was a “narco-trafficking vessel”. “The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was t…
Four people are said to have been killed. It is at least the fourth such attack since US President Trump targeted smuggling from Venezuela.
Since late August, the United States, which has deployed several military vessels in the Caribbean Sea, has destroyed at least four boats involved, according to Washington, in drug trafficking.
The US military has destroyed another drug-trafficking ship off the coast of Venezuela. Trump is cracking down on drug trafficking, and the fleet has released a video.
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