A go-fast narcotics transport operating in international waters before being hit by a U.S. military ‘precision strike’ on Sept. 2, 2025. DoD Image
This story has been updated to include additional information and video of the strike.
THE PENTAGON – U.S. forces performed a “precision strike” on a suspected transnational drug boat that killed the 11 people aboard, the Defense Department and President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday.
First announced by Trump during a press event at the White House, a senior defense official confirmed the strike in a statement. Trump then published video of the strike on Truth Social, saying the strike targeted the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
The State Department declared the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization in February.
“As the president announced today, we can confirm the U.S. military conducted a precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization. More information will be made available at a later time,” reads the senior defense official’s statement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the strike on social media website X, posting, “[T]oday the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.”
Spokespeople from the Navy, Coast Guard and U.S. Southern Command were unable to provide additional details on the strike when contacted by USNI News.

A strike against a suspected drug vessel is a departure from how the U.S. has handled transnational crime in Southern Command. Typically, military forces support law enforcement agencies like the Coast Guard, which interdict drug vessels and arrest suspects for prosecution via several bilateral legal agreements with South and Central American countries.
The strike comes as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have massed forces in the Caribbean against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s escalating rhetoric about the Nicolás Maduro regime in Caracas and its alleged support for transnational crime organizations.
As of Tuesday, 5,000 sailors and Marines are operating in the Caribbean as part of a White House mission to U.S. Southern Command, USNI News understands.
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are operating near Puerto Rico in the northern Caribbean Sea, two defense officials confirmed to USNI News.
The mission of the ARG/MEU – which is led by flagship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) – is currently undefined, but comes as the Trump administration ramps up a warship presence in Southern Command amid its ongoing mission at the southern border and counter-drug efforts. USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) and USS San Antonio (LPD-17) are the other two ships that make up the ARG.
Over the weekend the 22nd MEU started training in Puerto Rico with the territory’s National Guard, according to a Marine Corps news release.
“These operations offer a valuable opportunity to train alongside the National Guard, leveraging existing military training facilities on the island,” the release reads. “The 22nd MEU is actively seeking ways to expand collaborative training opportunities, including jungle training, combined exercises and community engagement events. These combined efforts are aimed at enhancing regional security, disaster response capabilities, and joint capacity building.”
Two guided-missile destroyers – USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) and USS Gravely (DDG-107) – and one cruiser are also operating in the Caribbean, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker. USS Lake Erie (CG-70) sailed north through the Panama Canal on Friday. As of Sunday, USS Sampson (DDG-102) was operating at the southern tip of the canal in the Eastern Pacific. Some of the surface combatants have Coast Guard law enforcement detachments onboard, USNI News understands.
Last week, Rubio met with SOUTHCOM commander Adm. Alvin Holsey in Florida to talk about the area of responsibility.
The Iwo Jima ARG left Norfolk, Va., last month, marking the first time a U.S.-based ARG with embarked Marines has deployed since December in part due to ongoing readiness challenges across the amphibious fleet.
The Navy increased its warship presence in U.S. Southern Command in 2020, sending both Littoral Combat Ships and destroyers to sail the waters to conduct counter-narcotics missions, USNI News reported at the time.
At the time, the service supported the Coast Guard’s law enforcement mission as part of the Joint Interagency Task Force South and Southern Command’s Campaign Martillo operations against transnational criminal organizations.


Related
U.S. Stops Houthi Bombing Campaign on Presidential OrdersThe Houthis told the U.S. that they would stop attacks on American warships in the Red Sea, prompting a potential ceasefire, President Donald Trump said during a Tuesday Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “They just don't want to fight, and we will honor that, and we…May 6, 2025In "Aviation"