Tag: venezualea

Hegseth Announces 14 Killed In New, Largest Single Attack On ‘Narco-Terrorist’ Boats

Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth has announced yet more strikes on alleged drug vessels operating off South America, in what’s becoming a weekly thing. This latest strike involved four total boats – in what looks to be the largest single set of strikes yet.

Unlike most of the some nine strikes recorded thus far, these fresh attacks were on the Pacific side of Latin America, and not directly off Venezuela’s coast. There’s been only one other prior instance, announced earlier this month, of such operations on the Pacific side.

The attacks against several vessels occurred Monday. Hegseth disclosed on Tuesday, “Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.”

“The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth continued.

The death toll was high in comparison with other attacks which stretch back several weeks. Hegseth continues in his statement on X:

Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor.

All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed. Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. 

This note about cooperation from Mexican authorities is interesting, and shows that not all regional governments are against the heightened Pentagon action off their shores – or else they are simply too scared of the Trump administration to say ‘no’.

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Democrat Senator Mark Kelly Makes Veiled Threat of Prosecution to ‘Young Service Members’ for Following President Trump’s Orders to Attack Drug Boats in Caribbean

In an interview on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, senior Arizona Democrat Senator Mark Kelly threatened ‘young service members’ with prosecution for following President Donald Trump’s orders to attack drug boats in the Caribbean Sea.

Kelly made the threat in comments to host Martha Raddatz, saying the Trump administration was “putting young service members at great, legal jeopardy.”

ABC transcript excerpt:

RADDATZ: OK, I want to talk about Venezuela. The Pentagon is now sending a carrier strike group. You know the massive amount of firepower on a carrier strike group. What is your take on what is happening with these suspected drug boats. Is it legal?

KELLY: It’s questionable. And the White House and the Department of Defense could not give us a logical explanation on how this is legal. They were tying themselves in knots trying to explain this. We had a lot of questions for them, both Democrats and Republicans. It was not a good meeting. It did not go well. They have a secret list of 20 something — 24 organizations that they have now authorized to use — use kinetic action against without the normal approach that we have for law enforcement. Hey, we don’t want drugs in this country, especially fentanyl. But all these drugs, we — we should be working really hard to interdict them and prosecute the individuals that are smuggling drugs, not putting young service members at great, legal jeopardy.

Note: ABC omitted Kelly’s word “jeopardy” from the transcript even though it was clearly audible in the broadcast.

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Trump Orders U.S. Military Strike on Drug Boat, Killing 11 Tren de Aragua Terrorists in Warning to Traffickers

On direct orders from President Donald Trump, U.S. military forces launched a precision strike on a drug-laden vessel in international waters, killing 11 Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists en route to the United States. Trump declared the operation a clear warning to traffickers that those who smuggle poison toward American shores will face swift and lethal consequences.

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.

The president included a video showing an aerial view of the panga boat. At the 20-second mark in the video, the boat explodes and bursts into flames. The boat quickly sank.

The commander-in-chief added, “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”

Breitbart News contacted the Pentagon for additional information regarding what type of munitions and delivery platforms were utilized in the attack. A senior U.S. Defense official responded, saying, “As the President announced today, we can confirm the U.S. military conducted a precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization. More information will be made available at a later time.”

The White House reposted the president’s Truth Social comments, adding, “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”

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Venezuela Asks U.N. to Help Stop American Anti-Drug Efforts in Caribbean

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil on Tuesday called for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to help “restore common sense” and stop the United States’ ongoing efforts to combat drug cartels in Caribbean international waters — which the Venezuelan narco-state deems a “threat.”

Gil met with U.N. Resident Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla on Tuesday. According to the regime’s main propaganda outlet, VTV, the officials “debated the threats facing Latin America and the Caribbean from the United States.”  Secretary-General Guterres has not publicly commented on Venezuela’s request at press time.

“We request the support of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to restore common sense. In this regard, we share our concerns about the deployment of US military units and even nuclear weapons in the Caribbean, which threatens peace,” Gil wrote on his official Telegram account.

“In the face of false narratives, used as a pretext to justify aggression against Venezuela, we confirm that the 2025 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) has ratified Venezuela as a territory free of illicit crops. Furthermore, the efforts of the Bolivarian Government have been duly certified by the UNDOC,” he continued.

Gil’s meeting with Rampolla and his request to Guterres come days after the administration of President Donald Trump increased its efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region and curb the flow of drugs entering the United States. Reports published this month indicated that the U.S. deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers and reportedly “about 4,000 sailors and Marines” to Caribbean international waters to fight against local drug trafficking organizations. Subsequent reports published this week detailed that the United States deployed the USS Lake Erie guided missile cruiser and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, to reinforce the U.S.’s ongoing efforts. Both are reportedly expected to arrive in the region by early next week.

Socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and members of his authoritarian regime have condemned the United States’ ongoing drug-fighting efforts in the Caribbean and have repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that the United States’s actions are instead part of a purported plot to “invade” Venezuela and oust Maduro from power.

Maduro is actively wanted by the United States on multiple narco-terrorism charges and stands accused of being a leading figure of the Cartel of the Suns, a U.S.-identified Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) led by top leading members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the Venezuelan military. Interior Minister and long-suspected drug lord Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López also stand accused by U.S. authorities of leading the Cartel of the Suns and are wanted on multiple narco-terrorism charges. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this month that the United States doubled its bounty on information that can lead to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million.

In recent days, Maduro has ordered a series of “preparations” for the alleged American “invasion” and launched a campaign to enlist civilians into the Bolivarian Militia that local and international outlets widely reported as a failure. On Tuesday, Defense Minister López claimed that Venezuela would also deploy “large ships” to “combat drug trafficking” in Caribbean waters.

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Venezuelan influencer killed after accusing the Tren de Aragua and naming High-Ranking Chavismo officials.

On the night of June 22, riel Jesús Sarmiento Rodríguez, a brave 25-year-old Venezuelan influencer, was brutally murdered in his home in El Piñonal, Maracay, while livestreaming on TikTok.

Jesús Sarmiento Rodríguez, a brave 25-year-old Venezuelan influencer, was brutally murdered in his home in El Piñonal, Maracay, while livestreaming on TikTok.

Two armed men broke into his home, shooting him at least nine times and seriously injuring his mother with a shot to the abdomen. The crime, captured in real time, has shocked Venezuela and exposes the rot of a system where organized crime and political power appear deeply intertwined.

Sarmiento, known on TikTok as @unleacks, was a programmer and cybersecurity analyst who used his platform with 80,000 followers to denounce police corruption and the links between Chavista regime officials and criminal gangs such as the Tren de Aragua and the Tren del Llano.

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