“We’re stopping drugs at a level never seen before,” Trump declared during a speech at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia on October 5.
According to Trump, recent U.S. military operations against vessels allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela have been so effective that “there are no more boats left” in the area. “No one, not even fishing boats, wants to go there anymore. We’re not seeing a single one,” he added. The former president suggested that, following the success of these maritime raids, the U.S. could expand its operations inland. “They’re no longer coming by sea, so now we’ll start looking on land—because that’s where they’ll have to go. That method won’t end well for them either,” Trump warned, referring to drug trafficking networks.
Trump also claimed that U.S. forces destroyed another drug-laden vessel “last night,” though it remains unclear whether this was a new incident. The most recent Pentagon-confirmed strike occurred on October 3, when U.S. forces attacked a suspected smuggling vessel off the Venezuelan coast, leaving four people dead.
U.S. officials have conducted at least four such strikes in the region, resulting in 21 fatalities. The White House has described the actions as part of efforts to stop criminal cartels from smuggling narcotics into the United States, although it has yet to provide evidence that the targeted boats were carrying drugs.
Democratic lawmakers and several legal experts have questioned the legitimacy of these military operations, noting that the U.S. is using lethal force in international waters against suspects who have not been arrested or interrogated.