Washington, September 20 (HS): President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that US forces struck and destroyed an alleged narcotics-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, killing three people on board — the third such operation this month.

In a social media post, Trump claimed the boat was linked to a “Designated Terrorist Organization” and was transporting illicit narcotics along a well-known trafficking route. He shared video footage of the strike showing missiles hitting the speeding vessel and sinking it in a fiery blast.

White House officials described the action as part of a stepped-up campaign to stop illegal drugs from reaching the United States. Communications director Steven Cheung wrote online: “It was at this moment, the narcoterrorists knew they screwed up.”

The operation follows two earlier US military strikes this month: one on Sept. 2 against a speedboat said to be operated by Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, which killed 11, and another on Sept. 15 that targeted a vessel allegedly carrying narcotics from Venezuela, also leaving three dead.

While the Trump administration has defended the maritime strikes as a necessary escalation against narco-trafficking, critics in Congress — including both Democrats and some Republicans — have raised questions about their legality. Human rights groups have also warned that using the military in what are essentially law enforcement operations could represent executive overreach.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the actions, accusing Washington of exaggerating drug threats as a pretext for “regime change” operations. After the first strike, Maduro even alleged that Trump’s video footage had been fabricated with artificial intelligence.

Despite the criticism, the administration has deployed additional naval assets to the region, signaling a shift toward more aggressive interdiction of suspected smuggling operations across the Western Hemisphere.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar