The US strikes a narco ship off Venezuela — four men were killed in the attack while, according to announcements, the vessel was carrying significant quantities of narcotics.
The US military reported that it hit another vessel off Venezuela, which belonged to a drug cartel and was carrying large quantities destined for the US.
The announcement came after the leak of news about a White House informational memorandum to the US Congress, in which it is stated that the country is in a non-international armed conflict with South American drug cartels.
Pete Hegseth posted a video and a brief report on social media on Friday morning. It shows a small vessel, which, they said, was in international waters near Venezuela, being monitored, struck, and left unmanned, burning on the sea surface.
The US reported that four men aboard the vessel were killed by the attack.
Hegseth claims the vessel was carrying significant quantities of narcotics destined for the United States. “Our information, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics,” Hegseth’s message claims. He states that the vessel was operating on a known drug trafficking route and calls the individuals aboard “narco-terrorists.”
The attack comes as the US Southern Command announced earlier this week that US forces, in cooperation with allies, seized or disrupted more than 453,592 tons of cocaine during counter-narcotics operations over the last 12 months.
The estimated value of the narcotics is approximately 11.34 billion dollars, while they said it could have been 377 million potential lethal doses.
Earlier this morning, on President Trump’s orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… /QpNPljFcGn
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 3, 2025
This was the fourth or fifth attack that the White House and Hegseth have confirmed since early September.
The first one, which occurred on September 2, is the most controversial, as it is reported to have killed 11 people, leading to questions about whether it could have been a migrant vessel. The US confirmed a second attack on September 15 and a third on September 19, each of which, they said, killed three people.
No evidence was provided that the vessels were loaded with narcotics or that they were operated by cartel members.
The notification to Congress, as required by the National Defense Act, was first reported by the New York Times and subsequently published by CBS News.
The organizations report more intense language, including “armed attacks” and “unlawful combatants,” used to describe the actions in mid-September.
US legislation requires the notifications and prohibits the military from intentionally killing civilians.
Congress has not approved the use of lethal force, although the Trump administration is now telling Congress that it has determined the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels, which the White House has designated as terrorist groups.
This comes as there have also been reports of US military buildup in Puerto Rico and areas of the Caribbean. Venezuela claims that the US is preparing to strike Venezuelan ports and airports.
In his message today, H ges stated that the attacks will continue until the attacks against the American people stop.
It remains to be seen how this war declared by the US under President Trump on the drug cartels will unfold.
