The US military killed four men on a boat in international waters near Venezuela on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post, claiming without presenting evidence that the vessel was involved in smuggling narcotics and those on board were linked to terrorist organizations. It was the fourth US strike in the Caribbean Sea since early September against boats the Trump administration maintains were connected to drug trafficking by groups it has labeled as terrorist organizations, the New York Times reports. In total, 21 people have been killed in the operations. Hegseth, who said he gave the command on President Trump's order, included a video of the explosion in his social media post.
The boat was carrying "substantial amounts of narcotics—headed to America to poison our people," Hegseth wrote, per the BBC. In his own post, Trump said the boat was carrying enough drugs "to kill 25 to 50 thousand people." Neither gave any information about the identity or nationality of those killed, or about what organization they might have been part of. The Trump administration argues that suspected smugglers are "unlawful combatants," a legal position that has faced criticism from experts in the laws of war, including former military legal advisers.
Historically, the US Coast Guard and Navy have stopped suspected drug-smuggling vessels, confiscated cargo, and arrested crews for prosecution. In July, Trump signed a classified order allowing the Pentagon to use military force against certain Latin American criminal groups. Since then, US naval presence has increased in the region, per the Times.
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