---
title: "US strike on alleged drug boat off Venezuela kills six, Trump says"
description: "WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday killed six suspected drug traffickers, President Donald Trump said, the latest such operation in recent weeks."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-14-us-strike-on-alleged-drug-boat-off-venezuela-kills-six-trump-says/"
published: "2025-10-14T21:01:03"
updated: "2025-10-14T21:01:05"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 133
---

# US strike on alleged drug boat off Venezuela kills six, Trump says

> WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday killed six suspected drug traffickers, President Donald Trump said, the latest such operation in recent weeks.

By Reuters · Published 14 October 2025, 23:01 SAST · Updated 14 October 2025, 23:01 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic display of military bravado, Trump claims to have struck a vessel linked to drug trafficking and terror, though the details remain as elusive as his evidence—cue the fireworks and a 30-second video of the explosion for good measure.
- Trump escalates military actions, including controversial strikes and troop deployments, amid legal scrutiny.
- The former president claims a recent strike targeted a terrorist organization, lacking specific details.
- He alleges intelligence links the vessel to narcotics trafficking and narcoterrorist networks, but evidence remains unshared.
- A brief video posted by Trump shows an explosion of a vessel, purportedly confirming the strike's execution.

## Content

The strike is the most recent example of Trump's efforts to use U.S. military power in new, and often legally contentious, ways, from deploying active-duty U.S. troops in Los Angeles to carrying out counter-terrorism strikes against drug trafficking suspects.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the strike had been carried out against a designated terrorist organization, but he did not provide any details on which group.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks," Trump said, without providing evidence.

A roughly 30-second video, which Trump posted, appeared to show a stationary vessel in a body of water being hit with a projectile before exploding.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart. Additional reporting Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Chris Reese)