A U.S. military vessel sank a Venezuelan drug boat during a high-seas interdiction, President Donald Trump announced from the White House, describing the target as “loaded” with narcotics bound for American shores.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump told reporters the U.S. Navy carried out the mission earlier this week after tracking the vessel suspected of smuggling large quantities of drugs from Venezuela.
“A lot of drugs on that boat,” Trump said. “We took it out.”
Flanked by top military and homeland security officials, the president credited the armed forces for executing what he called a “strong message” to drug traffickers operating in the region.
“There’s more where that came from,” Trump said. “A lot of drugs coming into our country, coming out heavily from Venezuela.”
Details of the maritime operation remain limited, and officials did not confirm the specific date or exact location of the incident. However, White House press aides later stated that the interdiction took place in international waters near the southern Caribbean and was carried out by U.S. Navy and Coast Guard assets under U.S. Southern Command.
Venezuela is a known transit country for cocaine and other narcotics, with traffickers frequently using go-fast boats and semi-submersibles to ferry drugs northward toward the United States. American officials have accused Venezuela’s government of turning a blind eye to trafficking operations, and Washington has maintained surveillance and interdiction missions across the region.
The sinking of the vessel is part of an ongoing surge in U.S. counter-narcotics enforcement in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. According to defense officials, no American personnel were injured during the operation, and no further confrontations occurred following the interdiction.