U.S. Hit Three Alleged Drug Boats Killing 14 After Sending Bombers Near Venezuela (Video)

A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on October 28 announced that the United States military carried out three strikes a day earlier in the eastern Pacific Ocean against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor.

“The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said in an X post.

“Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed,” the defense secretary continued.

“Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM (U.S. Southern Command) immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue,” he added.

Hegseth went on to claim that “narco-terrorists” have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, vowing that “they will be treated the same.”

“We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” he concluded.

The latest strikes brought the number of alleged drug trafficking boats targeted by the administration of President Donald Trump over the last few weeks to 13. A total of 57 people were killed.

The first several boats were targeted in the Caribbean Sea, close to Venezuela, but last week, the strikes expanded into the eastern Pacific.

The Trump administration began the so-called “counter narco-terror operation” in August. The U.S. military dispatched a large naval force with thousands of marines to the Caribbean, right after the administration doubled the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million on drug trafficking charges.

With the expansion of strikes to the eastern Pacific, the Trump administration began to escalate against Colombia. The Treasury Department on October 24 announced sanctions against President Gustavo, his wife, one of his sons, and his interior minister and former campaign chief, Armando Benedetti, for allegedly enabling drug trafficking.

Venezuela, however, remains the focal point of the U.S. operation, with multiple reports, including ones from American media, suggesting that a regime change in Caracas is the ultimate goal.

This became clear on October 27, when the U.S. sent strategic bombers on a flight close to the coast of Venezuela for the third time in recent weeks.

The two B-1B bombers took off from a base in the northern U.S. state of North Dakota and parallel to the Venezuelan coast, according to data from tracking website Flightradar24. That followed another flight near Venezuela by at least two B-1Bs last week, and another by multiple B-52 bombers the week before.

Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)

Venezuela has been actively preparing for an invasion by mobilizing and conducting military exercises. However, the country remains focused on avoiding a confrontation.

On October 27, the country announced that its security forces thwarted what it calls a CIA-linked plot to attack a U.S. warship anchored in Trinidad and Tobago. It said that the U.S. would have blamed Caracas for the attack on the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, to justify aggression against it.

The allegation comes a day after Venezuela said it had arrested mercenaries it alleged were connected to the CIA. Just earlier this month, reports revealed that Trump authorized the U.S. intelligence agency to count cover operations in the country.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement he had advised Trinidad and Tobago of the alleged false-flag operation.

“On our territory a criminal cell financed by the CIA and linked to this covert operation is being dismantled,” Gil said.

Interior Minister Diosadado Cabello later said that at least four suspects involved in the false-flag operation had been arrested.

All in all, the situation is escaping very quickly, especially close to Venezuela. This is evident by the recent U.S. strikes, bomber flights and even the surprise deployment of a carrier strike group announced last week. The Trump administration is clearly eyeing the oil reserves of the country, which are believed to be the largest in the world. A confrontation seems more likely every day.

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