US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that a military strike carried out by the US military in the southern Caribbean Sea targeted the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua,” resulting in the death of 11 people.

Trump said in a social media post: “The attack took place while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal drugs on their way to the United States. None of our forces were injured in this operation. Let this be a warning to anyone even thinking about trying to bring drugs into the United States.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained in an earlier post on the platform “X” that the ship was operated by an “organization classified as a drug-terrorist group,” describing the operation as a “lethal strike.”

Rubio spoke about the strike before leaving for Mexico and Ecuador to hold talks on drug cartels, security, and tariffs.

The United States recently announced plans to bolster its naval forces off the coast of Venezuela to counter drug gang threats in Latin America.

In response, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government deployed forces along the coast and border with Colombia and called on citizens to join a civil militia.