Pentagon Confirms Caribbean Strike on Narco Vessel

· Guy D. McCardle

US military strikes suspected drug vessel in the southern Caribbean. (Screenshot/X)

The Pentagon confirmed this week that US forces carried out a lethal strike against a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people identified as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The operation targeted a small motorboat traveling through international waters that officials said was transporting narcotics toward the United States.

President Donald Trump first announced the strike during remarks at the White House and later posted a video of the operation on Truth Social. In his statement, Trump described the dead as “narcoterrorists” and said the strike should serve as a warning to anyone considering smuggling drugs into the country.

“No US forces were harmed,” Trump wrote. “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. Beware.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the action in a statement on X, calling it a “precision” and “lethal” strike against a drug vessel that had departed from Venezuela.

The Defense Department described the target as being operated by a designated narco-terrorist group.

The State Department formally added Tren de Aragua to the list of foreign terrorist organizations in February, citing its growing influence in Venezuela and across Latin America.

Officials at the Pentagon offered no further details on the circumstances of the strike, including the type of weapon used or whether the strike was conducted by manned aircraft, drones, or naval platforms.

Spokespersons from the Navy, Coast Guard, and US Southern Command said they could not provide additional information, noting that more details would follow in time.

Break from Past Counter-Drug Missions

The operation marks a significant shift in how the United States has traditionally handled transnational drug crime in the region. For decades, the US Southern Command supported law enforcement agencies like the Coast Guard, which interdict drug shipments and arrest smugglers.

The goal has usually been prosecution, not elimination. These efforts are often conducted under bilateral agreements with partner nations in Central and South America.

By directly striking a suspected drug vessel and killing its crew, the US military has escalated its role from support to direct action.

Analysts note that the decision may reflect both the administration’s hardening posture toward Venezuela and its effort to deter traffickers by showing a willingness to use lethal force.

The Trump administration has long accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his inner circle of enabling or profiting from drug cartels and criminal organizations.

Maduro has denied the accusations and warned that any US military actions in the region would be met with resistance.

The Venezuelan government has not yet issued an official statement about the strike, but state-run media have portrayed the buildup of US forces in the Caribbean as a threat to the country’s sovereignty and a possible attempt at regime change.

Warships and Marines in the Caribbean

The strike was carried out against the backdrop of a large US military presence in the Caribbean. More than 4,500 sailors and Marines are currently deployed in the region, operating from seven warships and a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine. Several destroyers in the group are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, providing long-range strike capability and signaling a robust US posture.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, consisting of USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), and USS San Antonio (LPD-17), is at sea with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked. The group recently began training with Puerto Rico’s National Guard, focusing on jungle operations, disaster response, and combined exercises aimed at building regional security capacity.

A Marine Corps news release highlighted the benefits of using Puerto Rico’s training facilities for joint operations.

In addition to the amphibious ships, guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) and USS Gravely (DDG-107) are operating in the region. USS Lake Erie (CG-70), a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, recently transited north through the Panama Canal, while USS Sampson (DDG-102) was last reported near the canal’s southern entrance in the Eastern Pacific. Some of these vessels are carrying Coast Guard law enforcement detachments, enabling them to switch between military and law enforcement roles during counter-narcotics missions.

The deployment has roots in earlier efforts to expand the US naval presence in the Southern Command.

In 2020, the Navy began sending Littoral Combat Ships and destroyers to conduct counter-drug missions, working alongside the Coast Guard’s Joint Interagency Task Force South and the multinational Campaign Martillo.

What began as support to law enforcement has now shifted into more aggressive, direct military operations.

Broader Military Posture

The buildup in the Caribbean reflects a larger shift in Washington’s strategy toward Venezuela and transnational crime.

Last week, Secretary Rubio met with Admiral Alvin Holsey, the commander of US Southern Command, in Florida to discuss regional security challenges.

The Trump administration has consistently tied Venezuela’s instability to the rise of groups like Tren de Aragua, portraying the Maduro government as both corrupt and complicit in regional drug trafficking networks.

The current deployment also marks the first time since December that a US-based Amphibious Ready Group with embarked Marines has left port. Delays had been caused by readiness issues across the Navy’s amphibious fleet, which has faced maintenance challenges and limited ship availability. Despite these difficulties, the decision to send the Iwo Jima group underscores the administration’s intent to project power in the region.

Military analysts see the strike and the deployment as both a show of force and a warning. By using lethal military power against a drug vessel, the US has drawn a line that goes beyond law enforcement cooperation.

It also raises questions about how far Washington is willing to go in its confrontation with the Maduro regime.

For now, the message is clear. With Marines training in Puerto Rico, destroyers on patrol, and submarines at sea, the US has demonstrated that it is prepared to take more aggressive measures against narcotics trafficking and those tied to it. Whether that will deter groups like Tren de Aragua or deepen tensions with Venezuela remains to be seen, but the strike has already signaled a new phase in US operations in the Caribbean.