Trump Defends Strike on Venezuelan Gang Boat, Says U.S. Sending “Unmistakable Message” to Cartels

President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended a U.S. military strike against a Venezuelan gang boat in the Caribbean, calling it a necessary show of force to deter Latin American cartels from attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.

Speaking alongside Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House, Trump said the strike — which his administration confirmed was carried out a day earlier — was meant to send a clear warning. “There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said. “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’”

The operation marked a sharp departure from traditional U.S. drug interdiction efforts, which usually involve intercepting and capturing vessels. Instead, the strike reportedly destroyed the boat, killing 11 people on board. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later warned during a visit to Mexico that such actions “will happen again,” arguing that past interdictions failed to stem drug flows.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as running a “narco-state,” and claimed the U.S. military had precise intelligence on the target. However, Washington has not released evidence proving the gang involved was Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that the Trump administration has labeled a foreign terrorist group.

Caracas, for its part, dismissed the U.S. video footage of the attack as fabricated. Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez suggested the footage was created using artificial intelligence, calling it “cartoonish.” Hegseth rejected the claim, saying he personally watched live coverage of the strike from Washington.

Independent experts have raised doubts about the administration’s assertions. InSight Crime, a research group that recently published a detailed study of Tren de Aragua, found no evidence that the gang plays a major role in international drug trafficking, though it noted that its affiliates operate across Latin America and could expand into transnational smuggling.

The strike has also drawn legal scrutiny. Mary Ellen O’Connell, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, argued that such an operation could violate international law. “Intentional killing outside armed conflict hostilities is unlawful unless it is to save a life immediately,” she said, noting that no active hostilities were occurring in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration has recently announced a naval buildup near Venezuela, part of a broader strategy to confront regional cartels. Analysts say the strike reflects a shift in U.S. security doctrine in Latin America, moving from assistance-based approaches to direct use of force.

“This is a United States that sees security differently,” said Ryan Berg of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They’ve just demonstrated the ability to use deadly force in the Western Hemisphere — and they’re signaling to Mexico and others that they could do the same if cooperation isn’t forthcoming.”

Venezuela has responded by deploying troops to coastal regions and reinforcing its border with Colombia, underscoring the heightened tensions in a region already wary of U.S. interventionism.