On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the United States military launched a deadly strike on a vessel in the southern Caribbean, a move that has sent shockwaves through the Western Hemisphere and reignited debate over the U.S. approach to combating organized crime in Latin America. The boat, accused by U.S. officials of carrying large quantities of illegal drugs, was also alleged to be operated by members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua—a claim that has been met with skepticism and controversy at home and abroad.
President Donald Trump, who has made a hardline stance against drug cartels and transnational gangs a centerpiece of his administration’s foreign policy, quickly took to social media to frame the strike as a warning to others. “The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump posted on Truth Social, sharing a video of what he claimed was the attack. “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
According to the Associated Press, the White House has released few details about the operation, and the identities and nationalities of the 11 people killed aboard the vessel remain undisclosed. U.S. officials insist that all were members of Tren de Aragua, a criminal syndicate that originated more than a decade ago inside a notoriously lawless Venezuelan prison. Over the years, the gang has expanded its reach across Latin America, capitalizing on the massive exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse. But while the group has been linked to contract killings, extortion, and human smuggling, experts say its role in large-scale drug trafficking is far less clear.
Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of the think tank InSight Crime, told the AP, “We’ve found no direct participation of TdA in the transnational drug trade, although there are cases of them acting as subcontractors for other drug trafficking organizations.” A 64-page report by InSight Crime, published last month after two years of research, concluded that Tren de Aragua’s involvement in smuggling cocaine across international borders is limited compared to Colombian, Central American, or Brazilian cartels. Still, McDermott cautioned that with the gang’s growing presence throughout the region, “it would not be a huge leap for the gang to one day delve into the drug trade.”
Despite this, Trump and his administration have repeatedly placed Tren de Aragua at the center of their narrative about drugs and violence crossing into the United States. On his first day in office, Trump designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, alongside several Mexican cartels. In March, he went a step further, invoking the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to declare the gang an invading force, which led to the detention and eventual deportation of more than 250 Venezuelan men accused of gang affiliation. However, a U.S. appeals court ruled this week that the administration cannot use that law to expedite deportations of alleged Tren de Aragua members—a decision that is likely headed to the Supreme Court.
Trump has also repeatedly claimed, in contradiction to a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment, that Tren de Aragua operates under the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on this assertion during a Fox News appearance, describing Maduro as “a kingpin of a drug narco-state” and insisting that U.S. officials “knew exactly who was in that boat” and “exactly what they were doing.” Yet, as reported by the AP, the administration has not presented concrete evidence publicly to support the claim that those killed were Tren de Aragua members or that they were attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Mexico City the day after the strike, made it clear that the U.S. intends to continue such lethal operations. “What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them,” Rubio said, arguing that previous interdiction efforts had failed to stem the tide of illicit drugs. He declined to provide details about the operation, including whether the people on the boat were warned before the attack. However, Rubio emphasized, “Trump has a right, under exigent circumstances, to eliminate imminent threats to the United States.”
The strike comes amid a dramatic U.S. military buildup in the region. Last week, Washington deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and thousands of Marines—the largest show of force in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. The administration has also sought to build a coalition to target the so-called Cartel de los Soles, another powerful Venezuelan trafficking network. Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic have joined the U.S. in designating the cartel a terrorist organization, while France has reinforced its military presence in the Caribbean.
Venezuela’s government, for its part, has minimized the presence of Tren de Aragua within its borders and cast doubt on the authenticity of the video released by the Trump administration. Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez suggested the footage was generated using artificial intelligence, describing it as an “almost cartoonish animation, rather than a realistic depiction of an explosion.” Defense Secretary Hegseth rejected this claim, insisting he watched the live footage from Washington as the strike was carried out.
Maduro’s regime has responded to the U.S. escalation by deploying troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with Colombia, and by launching a nationwide militia enlistment drive—though, according to observers, the campaign has met with little success. At the United Nations, Maduro denounced the U.S. deployment as “a serious threat to regional peace and security.”
Some international law experts have questioned the legality of the strike, noting that “intentional killing outside armed conflict hostilities is unlawful unless it is to save a life immediately,” as Mary Ellen O’Connell of the University of Notre Dame Law School told the AP. “No hostilities were occurring in the Caribbean.” The U.S. maintains that the strike was justified by the imminent threat posed by the alleged drug shipment.
Ryan Berg, director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the AP that the strike marks a “paradigm shift” in U.S. security policy in the Western Hemisphere. “This is a United States that sees security differently,” Berg said. “They’ve just demonstrated the ability to use deadly force in the Western Hemisphere, and they’ve already told Mexico that they’re going to do the same thing on Mexican territory if they don’t get the level of cooperation that they want.”
The operation’s political implications are hard to ignore. With mid-term elections on the horizon and Trump’s support among Hispanic voters having waned after a harsh deportation campaign, a tough stance against criminal organizations could help him regain lost ground. Some analysts also speculate that the administration’s aggressive posture is aimed at strengthening its hand in upcoming diplomatic engagements, particularly with China, which has been a key ally of Maduro’s government.
For now, the future of U.S. policy in the region remains uncertain. The deadly strike has undoubtedly sent a strong message to criminal organizations and governments alike, but it has also raised serious questions about evidence, legality, and the potential for further escalation. As the world watches, the consequences of this gamble will reverberate far beyond the Caribbean, shaping the destinies of both Venezuela and the United States for years to come.
