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What about the Venezuelan boats targeted by the U.S.?

Is Venezuela really involved in drug trafficking? What about the so-called Cartel de los Soles? What is Tren de Aragua? What about the Venezuelan boats targeted by the U.S.? Why should people in the U.S. care? Where can I find reliable information? What can I do?
Answer

There have been three separate incidents in September 2025

  • Sept. 2: A U.S. missile strike killed 11 people on a Venezuelan vessel in international waters. Washington claimed it was a “drug boat,” but local media reported it was a fishing boat with four motors, not a typical smuggling vessel. With 11 passengers on board, far more than the 3 crew usually found on go-fast boats, it is unlikely the boat was trafficking tons of cocaine. This was an extrajudicial killing and possible war crime.
  • Sept. 15: Another U.S. strike killed 3 more Venezuelans on a second vessel. Again, the justification was “narco-terrorism,” but there is no evidence. 
  • Sept. 13 (between the two strikes): U.S. forces boarded and detained a Venezuelan tuna fishing boat with nine fishermen aboard in Venezuela’s own Exclusive Economic Zone. The crew was held for hours and only released under Venezuelan Navy escort. No one was killed in this incident but it was still a hostile act, condemned by Venezuela as a violation of sovereignty.

Why this matters: Together, these events show how Trump’s “narco-terror” policy has turned fishing crews and migrants into military targets. Strikes that kill civilians, alongside armed boardings of working fishermen, prove that this is not a “drug war” but an escalating campaign of intimidation and violence against Venezuela.