Oct. 3 (UPI) — War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. military had sunk a “narco-trafficking” vessel in international waters near Venezuela early Friday morning.
Hegseth said the vessel carried four male “narco-terrorists,” all of whom were killed with no harm done to U.S. forces involved in the operation.
“The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics headed to America to poison our people,” Hegseth said in a social media post.
“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” he continued.
“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over,” Hegseth added.
His post includes unclassified video footage showing an open vessel traveling at high speed on blue waters until it explodes.
The deadly strike is the first this month and the fourth since the Trump administration last month began targeting vessels that the military says were carrying potentially deadly and illicit drugs to the United States.
The strike occurred after the Trump administration recently notified Congress that the U.S. military is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels, many of which President Donald Trump has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
“The president has directed these strikes against Venezuelan drug cartels in these boats, consistent with his responsibility to protect the United States’ interests abroad and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told media on Friday.
She said such military strikes fall within the president’s authority as commander in chief and as the nation’s chief executive.
The military actions have drawn scrutiny regarding their legality and among those who suggest it would be better to intercept suspected vessels and capture their crews and cargo.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticized Vice President JD Vance earlier praising the deadly strikes that have killed 21 in total.
Congressional Democrats on Sept. 10 sought information from the Trump administration regarding the legality of the strikes in the absence of a Congress-approved declaration of war.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has offered to hold direct talks with the Trump administration regarding the matter.
Maduro also ordered Venezuela’s military to conduct military drills following the U.S. strikes on the alleged Venezuelan drug runners.