On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced 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 individuals.

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

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a previous post on X platform that the ship was operated by an “organization classified as a drug-terrorist group.” He described the operation as a lethal strike.

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

The United States recently announced plans to strengthen its naval forces in waters off Venezuela to counter drug cartel threats in Latin America.

The US has not indicated any plans for ground operations with the thousands of troops being deployed. However, President Nicolás Maduro’s government responded by deploying forces along the Venezuelan coast and the border with neighboring Colombia, in addition to calling on Venezuelans to join a civilian militia.