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According to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a US strike eliminated four people in an operation against a boat suspected of carrying illegal drugs in international waters near the Venezuelan coast.

This action occurred shortly after US officials informed Congress regarding the US was entering an armed confrontation with narco-trafficking organizations.

It represents at least the fourth unprecedented and disputed attack conducted by American military beyond US territorial waters in recent weeks.

Specifics of the Strike

The defense secretary stated that the boat was targeted while carrying large quantities of narcotics bound for America, which he described as poisoning the people.

“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth said in a social media post.

The defense secretary further asserted that the boat was “affiliated with” Designated Terrorist Organizations, a label introduced through a private document to Congress.

Juridical and Governmental Background

The Trump administration has informed the legislative branch that it considers cartels are non-state armed actors and their actions smuggling drugs “constitute an armed attack” on the US.

The memo was accompanied by a secret session with lawmakers from the Senate defense panel, held earlier this week.

Administration officials have sought to legitimize the strikes under Trump’s constitutional authority, which allow the use of military force for self-protection during confined conflicts.

Previous Strikes and Global Reaction

Before the latest incident, American military had conducted attacks against three vessels in the Caribbean, which led to 17 fatalities and causing widespread international outrage.

The defense secretary reiterated that such operations “are ongoing” until “the attacks on the American people are over”.

Governmental Restructuring and Supervision

Officials have reportedly empowered a White House security body to operate separately within the executive branch, a change unlike prior governments which had it reporting to the security chief.

The reorganization affected the coordination and execution of such strikes, as certain authorities learning of operations shortly prior to they occur.

Regardless of the administration’s assertions, juridical specialists have noted that labeling trafficking groups as terrorist entities does not grant additional authority to employ deadly action absent concrete evidence linking them to another state.

To date, the administration has yet to offer such evidence concerning the supposed penetration by cartels into Venezuela's regime.