October 3, 2025: The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel engaged in narcotics trafficking in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela, Pentagon official Peter “Pete” Hegseth announced. The strike, Hegseth said, was ordered by President Donald Trump and executed in the area of responsibility of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

In a statement, Hegseth identified those aboard the vessel as “narco‑terrorists” affiliated with designated terrorist organizations and said the ship was transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics — headed to America to poison our people.” He said four male passengers on the vessel were killed and that no U.S. forces were injured during the operation.

“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco‑terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco‑trafficking transit route,” Hegseth said. He added a warning that “these strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over.”

The strike was carried out in international waters, according to the Pentagon statement, and targeted the vessel while it was in transit. No further operational details were included in Hegseth’s announcement, and Pentagon officials did not provide immediate additional comment on the nature of the intelligence that led to the strike, the exact timing of the operation, or any follow‑up actions.

The use of lethal force against maritime drug shipments marks an assertive U.S. posture in countering narcotics flows and groups the Pentagon describes as linked to terrorism. U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the Caribbean and much of Latin America, frequently works with regional partners on counternarcotics operations and intelligence sharing; however, Hegseth’s statement frames the attack as a direct U.S. action conducted under presidential authority.