US carries out first known strike on alleged drug boat since Maduro’s capture
U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat was “involved in drug smuggling operations” and that two people died and one survived in the attack. It was stated that the Coast Guard was informed to initiate search and rescue efforts for the person in question.
The video accompanying the post announcing the latest attack shows a boat moving through the water before bursting into flames. The US military has recently focused on seizing sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela since the Trump administration launched a daring raid to capture Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
According to the US military and Trump’s statements, with the latest military operation, there have been 36 known attacks against boats allegedly smuggling drugs in South American waters since the beginning of September, and at least 117 people died in these attacks. The majority of strikes occurred in the Caribbean Sea.
The last reported boat attacks occurred in late December; The military said five boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling were hit in two days, killing a total of eight people and others jumping into the sea. Days later, the Coast Guard suspended the search.
The USA carried out a large-scale operation in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on January 3. This operation resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife. They were then sent to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges.
Before his capture, Maduro said the US military operations were a thinly veiled effort to remove him from power. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that U.S. strikes targeting alleged traffickers have had a tremendous impact in slowing drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
“We’ve stopped; we’ve stopped almost 100% of all drugs coming in by water,” Trump said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
