Trump says U.S. military struck another boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, three killed

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. military forces struck a boat in international waters that was allegedly carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela, killing three people aboard, and suggested the campaign of military action against drug traffickers could be broadened.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the strike targeted “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” transporting narcotics “(A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.” He said he had been shown footage of the operation by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, and added that U.S. personnel had recovered large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl from the sea.

The White House posted an unclassified video clip on social media showing the strike. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later posted on X that U.S. forces would “track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere — at the times and places of our choosing,” language that echoed phrasing used in past counterterrorism campaigns.

The reported operation comes nearly two weeks after an earlier U.S. strike on a vessel the administration said was carrying drugs from Venezuela that resulted in 11 deaths. The administration has characterized the actions as part of a broader effort to stem the flow of narcotics into the United States and has said the early strike targeted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization. The White House did not say whether Monday’s strike targeted the same group.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the military is seeing fewer vessels in the Caribbean since the first strike but that traffickers continue to move drugs overland. “We’re telling the cartels right now we’re going to be stopping them, too,” he said, adding that the military could take similar action against land-based smugglers.

The administration’s use of U.S. military forces in drug interdiction operations has drawn criticism from some lawmakers and human rights groups, who say the strikes may exceed presidential authority and could violate international law. Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California said he is drafting a war powers resolution to bar U.S. troops from engaging in further strikes without explicit congressional authorization. “I don't want to see us get into some war with Venezuela because the president is just blowing ships willy-nilly out of the water,” Schiff said.

Human rights advocates also raised alarms. Daphne Eviatar, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights Program, called the strikes “extrajudicial execution[s]” and said there was “absolutely no legal justification” for the military operation.

Administration officials have invoked self-defense to justify the strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that drug cartels pose an “immediate threat” to the United States and backed the use of force. In media appearances, Rubio said the U.S. does not regard Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela and has characterized his government as entangled with criminal networks.

Venezuelan officials sharply denounced the operations. Maduro, speaking at a news conference Monday, accused the U.S. of using drug trafficking allegations as a pretext for intimidation and an attempt at regime change. He also criticized what he described as a separate weekend operation in which U.S. Marines boarded a Venezuelan fishing boat, saying the United States was seeking a military incident.

U.S. officials have provided limited public detail about the legal authorities used or the intelligence underpinning the operations, prompting calls for greater transparency from both parties and some Republicans. Media reporting, including by The Associated Press, said the earlier boat had turned back toward shore before being struck; a White House official cited by the administration has disputed that account.

The administration has indicated more military actions against drug trafficking networks are possible. As questions about legality and oversight continue to mount, Congress and rights groups are preparing to press for fuller explanations of the strikes and the legal rationale for using U.S. forces in what critics describe as law enforcement missions.