US defense secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the American military carried out its 10th strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs overnight, killing six people and bringing the death toll in the campaign against drug cartels to at least 46.
In a social media post, Hegseth said the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, "a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea," and the strike took place in the Caribbean.
Video
"If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you," Hegseth said in a post on X.
The pace of the strikes has increased in recent days, from one every few weeks in September, when they first began, to three in one week. Two of the strikes this week were also conducted in the eastern Pacific, expanding the area where the military is carrying out operations.
A 20-second black-and-white video of the strike posted online shows a small boat apparently stationary on the water when a long, thin projectile hits it, causing an explosion. The video ends before the remains of the boat can be seen clearly, as per a report by news agency Associated Press.
Hegseth said the strike was conducted in international waters and noted that it was the first one carried out at night.
The strike came hours after the US military flew two supersonic heavy bombers to the coast of Venezuela on Thursday. The flight is part of a larger military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and off the waters of Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could attempt to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narcoterrorism charges in the US.
In a social media post, Hegseth said the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, "a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea," and the strike took place in the Caribbean.
Video
"If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you," Hegseth said in a post on X.
Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025
The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4
The pace of the strikes has increased in recent days, from one every few weeks in September, when they first began, to three in one week. Two of the strikes this week were also conducted in the eastern Pacific, expanding the area where the military is carrying out operations.
A 20-second black-and-white video of the strike posted online shows a small boat apparently stationary on the water when a long, thin projectile hits it, causing an explosion. The video ends before the remains of the boat can be seen clearly, as per a report by news agency Associated Press.
Hegseth said the strike was conducted in international waters and noted that it was the first one carried out at night.
The strike came hours after the US military flew two supersonic heavy bombers to the coast of Venezuela on Thursday. The flight is part of a larger military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and off the waters of Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could attempt to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narcoterrorism charges in the US.
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