US President Donald Trump said the US had struck a drug ship in the southern Caribbean that had left Venezuela, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
“When you walk out of the room, you will see that literally in the last few minutes we have been shooting at a drug boat“, Trump told reporters during an unrelated event in the Oval Office. He added that there were "a lot of drugs" on the ship, but did not provide further details about the operation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the social network "Ex" that the ship was run by "a specific narco-terrorist organization." The minister described the operation as a deadly strike. He spoke about the strike as he traveled to Mexico and Ecuador for talks on drug cartels, security and tariffs.
A Pentagon official said the U.S. military carried out a “precision strike on a drug ship,” but declined to provide details about how the attack was carried out, what types of drugs were targeted or who was on board, Reuters reported.
The U.S. recently announced plans to boost its naval presence off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.
President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with neighboring Colombia. The president insists the U.S. is building a false narrative about drug trafficking to try to force him out of office. He and other government officials have repeatedly cited a UN report that they say shows traffickers attempt to move just 5% of the cocaine produced in Colombia through Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's announcement.