President Donald Trump says the U.S. military sank a boat carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, potentially increasing tensions in a region where the U.S. has sought to clamp down on drug trafficking.
During an Oval Office exchange with reporters on Tuesday, President Trump said the U.S. "shot out" the boat.
"A lot of things are coming out of Venezuela, so we took it out," President Trump said.
President Trump said the strike killed 11 people identified as members of the Tren de Aragua terror organization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the fatal sinking on social media, saying the vessel was run by a "designated narco-terrorist organization."
As @potus just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 2, 2025
In August, three U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers were deployed off the coast of Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to combat drug cartels in Latin America.
A source familiar with the move confirmed to Scripps News that the destroyers include the USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson.
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"There are designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region, some of them utilizing international airspace, international waters, to transit poison into the United States," Secretary Rubio said of the deployment at the time. "And those groups will be confronted."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sharply criticized the U.S. activities. He has vowed to defend the country and mobilize millions of militia fighters.
"In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela," Maduro said Monday.
