US President Donald Trump announced that American forces targeted a boat coming from Venezuela loaded with drugs belonging to the terrorist-designated organization ‘Tren de Aragua,’ resulting in the death of 11 of its members.

Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social: “Earlier this morning, under my orders, US military forces carried out an airstrike against drug terrorists known as ‘Tren de Aragua’ within the area of responsibility of SOUTHCOM.”

He added: “Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization, operates under the control of Nicolás Maduro and is responsible for mass killings, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, violence, and terrorism throughout the United States and the Western Hemisphere.”

Trump noted that the strike occurred “while the terrorists were in international waters transporting an illegal drug shipment en route to the United States,” confirming the operation “resulted in the death of 11 terrorists, with no American casualties.”

The president concluded: “Let this be a warning to anyone thinking of bringing drugs into the United States: Beware!”

It is worth noting that on his inauguration day, the US president vowed to eradicate the ‘Tren de Aragua’ gang, known for its extreme danger and involvement in extortion, human trafficking, drugs, kidnapping, and murder. The US State Department has also offered a multi-million dollar reward for information leading to the capture of its leaders.

According to US estimates, the gang includes about 5,000 members spread across Latin America and has entered the United States illegally via Venezuela.

Washington has arrested some suspects and gang members but has struggled to distinguish dangerous gang members from ordinary Venezuelan asylum seekers because Venezuela does not share security information with the US.

Venezuela classifies ‘Tren de Aragua’ as the most powerful gang in the country, to the extent that some Venezuelan police officers flee to the United States to escape its brutality.