The Trump administration is doubling down on its controversial use of military force against alleged drug traffickers at sea. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a U.S. military strike killed four male narcoterrorists aboard a speedboat in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
It marks the fourth such strike this month, raising questions from lawmakers and legal experts about the legality of targeting criminal networks with military assets.
A Boat “Loaded with Death”
Hegseth released a statement and video footage of the attack, which showed a small vessel being hit by a precision strike. He described the operation as necessary to protect the American people.
“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 an X post.
President Donald Trump also shared the video, declaring:
“A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory.”
