US strike on ‘drug boat’ deepens fears of looming confrontation with Venezuela

The United States has carried out yet another lethal strike on what it claims was a drug-smuggling vessel off Latin America, widening a campaign that has killed dozens as Washington masses warships, fighter jets and thousands of troops around Venezuela.

US Southern Command said three people were killed in Saturday’s strike in the eastern Pacific.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” the command wrote online, though no evidence has been publicly provided.

Hours earlier, the USS Gerald R Ford, the most advanced aircraft carrier in US history, sailed into the Caribbean. Its arrival has poured fuel on fears that President Donald Trump may be preparing for military action against Venezuela under the banner of drug interdiction, a justification questioned by international law experts.

Trump has insisted the operation is aimed at “narcoterrorists,” but in Caracas the buildup looks like a prelude to regime change. The Venezuelan government says Washington is using drug claims as a pretext to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Trump, who said last week he had “sort of” made up his mind about striking Venezuela, told reporters on Sunday that his administration could still pursue talks with Maduro: “We’ll see how that turns out. But they would like to talk.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio escalated the confrontation further, designating the so-called Cartel de los Soles, which Washington claims Maduro heads, as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

“Headed by the illegitimate Nicolas Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela,” Rubio posted on X, again without offering evidence.

Since September, the US has launched at least 21 lethal strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing roughly 80 people. Human rights observers say the actions amount to extrajudicial executions, noting that the Trump administration has not shown proof that the dead were “narcoterrorists.”

Inside the White House, Reuters reports, senior officials held three meetings this week to discuss military options for Venezuela. Outside, the Pentagon continues building what amounts to the largest US force posture in the region in generations: F-35 fighters, a nuclear submarine, and a carrier strike group with at least 4,000 sailors.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has branded the effort Operation Southern Spear. There are now around 12,000 US sailors and Marines operating near Venezuela. Trump has openly dismissed congressional authority over war powers, saying he would not “necessarily ask for a declaration of war” to keep killing people “that are bringing drugs into our country.”

Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Gerald R Ford strike group, framed the deployment as necessary to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”

The pressure is being felt across the region. In Trinidad and Tobago, just seven miles from the Venezuelan coast, troops have begun joint exercises with the US military. Foreign Minister Sean Sobers, a vocal backer of Trump’s strikes, said the drills, the second round in less than a month, would help fight crime linked to drug routes. Venezuela has described them as acts of aggression.

Maduro, charged by the US with narcoterrorism, says Washington is “fabricating a new eternal war” against Venezuela. On Sunday he wrote that the country is “ready to defend their homeland against any criminal aggression.” Last week, his government announced a “massive” mobilisation of troops and civilians to prepare for a potential US attack.