Trump releases footage of US strike on Tren de Aragua drug boat off Venezuela

President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed footage of the US military destroying a boat carrying drugs and Tren de Aragua gang members off the coast of Venezuela.

The video showed the vessel erupting into flames after being struck by a missile in international waters. Trump said the boat was occupied by 11 “Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” who were headed toward the United States. The specific drug on board was not confirmed, though the New York Post has reported the region is a major exporter of cocaine.

“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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!”

The strike marked the first known US military attack on a cartel since Trump authorized such operations earlier this year.

In August, Trump deployed several guided-missile destroyers and roughly 4,000 Marines to waters near Venezuela in an effort to target drug cartels. That move prompted a response from Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who accused the United States of preparing for an invasion.

“They are seeking a regime change through military threat,” Maduro claimed. 

The US State Department has accused Maduro of leading Venezuela’s drug trafficking network known as the Cartel of the Suns. Earlier this month, the US government announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

“Maduro’s reign of terror is ending,” a source close to the administration told the New York Post after the strike. “And President Trump’s historic mission to secure the Western Hemisphere is just getting started.”