The Pentagon, in a statement, confirmed the military conducted a “precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization,” but did not provide further information. The U.S. has ramped up its military presence in the southern Caribbean in recent months as the administration threatens to use American military power to combat cartels. Several U.S. ships are patrolling the waters off the coast of Venezuela, including the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, which crossed the Panama Canal last weekend. Trump has fixated on Tren de Aragua since early in his second term. He has used the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime measure, to target members of the gang for deportation.Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the strike on X and later told reporters that the Trump administration would “wage combat” against drug cartels threatening the U.S. U.S. officials have long accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of ties with gangs in the country, going as far as to indict Maduro on narcotics trafficking charges in 2020. The administration in 2025 increased a criminal bounty on the leader of up to $50 million. Officials have alleged that Maduro and other top lieutenants are linked to notorious gangs Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles.And Washington has increasingly accused other top Venezuelan military and intelligence officials of being involved with, or leading, transnational criminal groups based in the country.Venezuela has rejected the allegations as smears intended to justify a potential U.S. military intervention in the South American country and the overthrow of its leftist government. The country and its allies have also mobilized civilian brigades ahead of a potential invasion.