Donald Trump announced that a US military operation targeted and eliminated three alleged “narcoterrorists.” The specific group targeted and the origin of the vessel hit by the strike are unclear. However, Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, stated that the vessel was linked to a Designated Terrorist Organization and was involved in narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM region.

USSOUTHCOM, also known as US Southern Command, operates in Latin America, south of Mexico, in the waters adjacent to Central and South America, and in the Caribbean Sea. Intelligence reports confirmed that the targeted vessel was transporting illicit narcotics through a known trafficking route to harm Americans.

Trump shared a video of the strike showing the vessel being hit by missiles and sinking in an explosion. The White House communications director commented that the narcoterrorists realized their mistake at that moment.

This recent strike followed a previous operation on September 2, where a drug-carrying speedboat, allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, was targeted, resulting in 11 casualties. The Trump administration defended the military action as necessary to curtail drug flow into the US.

However, concerns have been raised by some senators, Democrats, Republicans, and human rights groups regarding the legality of Trump’s actions. They question the use of military force for law enforcement purposes and seek clarification on how the military identified the cargo and passengers’ affiliations before the attacks.

The escalation of US maritime forces in the Caribbean signifies a significant change in the approach to combating drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. Speculations in Venezuela suggest that these strikes may be part of a plan to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro’s government, a claim echoed by Maduro himself.

Maduro dismissed the US video of the strikes as artificial intelligence manipulation and accused the Trump administration of using drug trafficking allegations as a pretext for a military intervention aimed at regime change in Venezuela.