US Conducts 10th Strike on Suspected Drug-Running Boat in Caribbean

The US military conducted its 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean on Friday, leaving six people dead and escalating its crackdown on narcotics trafficking. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the operation targeted a vessel tied to the Tren de Aragua gang, a group originating from a Venezuelan prison, and marked the first US strike carried out at night.

Hegseth said the strike occurred in international waters and emphasized that the Trump administration is treating drug traffickers like terrorist threats, warning that the US will "track your people, hunt you down, and kill you." The operation came amid an unusually large US military buildup in the Caribbean and off Venezuela's coast, raising concerns of heightened tensions in the region.

The pace of US military strikes on drug-running boats has accelerated sharply, increasing from one every few weeks in September to three this week. Two of the recent strikes occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean, reflecting an expansion of the operational area where much of the world's cocaine is smuggled. Footage released by the Pentagon showed a small boat on calm waters before a long projectile struck it, triggering a violent explosion.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the strikes, asserting that Washington is using false drug-trafficking claims as a pretext for regime change. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said the US military buildup is “forcing a regime change,” while the Trump administration maintains its operations are part of a war against narco-terrorists.

Trump recently declared that drug cartels are unlawful combatants and insisted that the US is engaged in an "armed conflict" with them. His remarks drew comparisons to the post-9/11 war on terror, highlighting a new strategy in the fight against drug-running operations in the Western Hemisphere.

Despite bipartisan concerns in Congress about legality and international law violations, the Republican-controlled Senate has blocked a resolution that would require presidential authorization for further military action. Democrats continue to warn that the US strikes on drug-running boats risk escalating lawlessness and could provoke international backlash.

The latest strike underscores the US government's intensified approach to countering narcotics smuggling, signaling that military operations against drug-running vessels in the Caribbean will continue as part of the broader war on drugs.