US Strikes Against Drug Traffickers Raise International Concerns

Sat Oct 25 2025 03:34:01 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a high-stakes operation targeting the Tren de Aragua crime organization in the Caribbean, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that six alleged narco-terrorists were killed in a recent strike. The operation's legality and implications for Venezuela remain hotly debated.

The US has intensified military actions against drug trafficking in the Caribbean, carrying out a strike on a vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua organization, resulting in six deaths. This has prompted discussions in Congress regarding the legality of such operations and their potential impact on US-Venezuela relations amidst rising tensions.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the US had carried out another strike against a ship alleged to belong to drug traffickers.

The operation took place in the Caribbean Sea, against a group Hegseth identified as the Tren de Aragua criminal organisation.

Hegseth stated six male narco-terrorists were on board and killed in the strike.

The US has conducted a series of strikes in the region, aimed at curtailing drug trafficking, as described by President Donald Trump.

Hegseth shared a video on X showing the operation, which depicted a boat in crosshairs before it exploded.

This marks the tenth strike the Trump administration has executed against alleged drug traffickers since early September, primarily occurring off South America and in the Caribbean, with additional strikes reported in the Pacific Ocean recently.

Both Democratic and Republican members of Congress have raised concerns regarding the legality of these military actions and the president's authority to initiate them.

A letter by 25 Democratic US senators voiced allegations that an earlier strike had occurred without concrete evidence of the vessel posing a threat to the US.

Republican Senator Rand Paul has indicated that such military actions necessitate congressional approval.

Despite these concerns, Trump asserts that he has the legal authority to proceed with the strikes, having designated the Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization.

We're allowed to do that, and if we do (it) by land, we may go back to Congress, Trump mentioned in a recent press briefing.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.

With the recent operation, the death toll from US strikes has now reached at least 43 individuals.

These military actions are widely perceived as a dual effort not only against drug trafficking but also to exert pressure on Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, a longstanding adversary of Trump, who has been accused by the US of leading a drug-trafficking organization—a claim he vehemently denies.