Trump says US drug strike targeted Tren de Aragua gang
11 killed off Venezuelan coast

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said yesterday that the United States carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.He said in a social media posting that 11 people were killed in the rare US military operation in the Americas, a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to stem the flow of narcotics from Latin America. Trump also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said on Truth Social.“No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”The video appears to show a long, multi-engine speedboat travelling at sea when a bright flash of light bursts over the craft. The boat is then briefly seen covered in flames.The video, which is largely in black and white, is not clear enough to see if the craft is carrying as many as 11 people. The video also did not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat.

Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded in recent years, as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans fled economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries or the US.

T&T PM congratulates US over fatal strike on Venezuelan drug boat
‘Kill them all violently’

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she is pleased following yesterday’s US military strike that sank a drug-carrying vessel leaving Venezuelan waters.The revelation was first made by US President Donald Trump during an interview with journalists in Washington.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently said on X that the vessel was being operated by a “designated narco-terrorist organisation” and that the operation was a lethal strike. In a subsequent interview, Rubio said the intended destination of the drugs may have been T&T.

In a WhatsApp response to Guardian Media on the strike yesterday, Persad-Bissessar backed the US action, saying, “I, along with most of the country, am happy that the US naval deployment is having success in their mission. The US government has repeatedly said that going after the drug cartels was their objective and they have begun to deliver. Illegally trafficked drugs and arms have caused death and destruction in our society over the last twenty-five years.”

She said the country has been ravaged by bloody violence and addiction because of the greed of the cartels.“The slaughter of our people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers. The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers, the US military should kill them all violently.”

PNM Leader Beckles calls on PM to retract ‘kill them all violently’ statement

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles is calling on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to retract her statement supporting the United States’ violent killing of drug traffickers.In a Facebook post today, Beckles described the Prime Minister’s words as “reckless, disgraceful and inconsistent with the oath she has taken to uphold the Constitution and the law.”Persad-Bissessar yesterday declared in a WhatsApp message that the United States should “kill them all violently.”

Beckles said the Prime Minister had “fallen into a pattern of issuing WhatsApp messages to avoid proper media scrutiny and an appropriate degree of public clarity.”She warned that the language was “completely unbecoming of our head of government who is expected to be more prudent in her language.”The Opposition Leader argued that Persad-Bissessar’s “inflammatory social media output” could draw the country into unnecessary conflict" and can put our legitimate fisherfolks, offshore workers, and other workers in the maritime space at increased risk.”

Beckles questioned whether CARICOM had been consulted before what she called “unprecedented alignment with foreign military action.”“Given the Prime Minister’s scant regard for CARICOM, we must question whether she engaged in any consultations with our CARICOM colleagues before this new round of public cheerleading for foreign military action,” she wrote.

Oh really!!! Leader of Opposition...

Where were you when Rowley made numerous remarks un worthy of a PM? Remember "reckless, disgraceful, and inconsistent with the oath he has taken to uphold the Constitution and the law."
Did you call him out ..NOOOOOOOO

Did you call out? Your government over the past 10 years has seen 5,000 citizens die under your tenure ... NO

Your finance minister noted T&T is broke ?....How did such occur with the present government just over 100 days in office?
Did your government leave T&T in such a position? ...NAW, it's all Kamla's fault...the same song you've sung for over 10 years.

In reply to sgtdjones

Put down the Siparia glasses for a minute and listen to what Penny said…

What happens when Trump bombs fisherfolk? Y’all will plant drugs on the burnt out remains?

I am no Beckles fan, but in this she isn’t wrong.

In reply to Halliwell

Trini fishermen should be in T&T waters, not Venezuelan or Columbian waters... It's illegal.

I have no sympathy for traffickers, gun smugglers, et al

Fishermen are being tracked by the US airplanes.

If one sees a powerboat heading for some Caribbean country from Columbia/Venezuela/Guyana

Remember Mono Island ...a billion-dollar drug haul....no arrest...allegation the 1%.

Take it out. This one that was shot will help stop the illegal activity.

Did you read where fishermen noticed a sub off Cedros, cruising at night?

Criminals in TT kill their victims violently too ,what say you about that and what did Rowley ever say about that.Those drug dealers are the most violent human beings you can ever find and if they die violently there's no reason to cry.Who cares about them,I hope you don't .

Woi, ok pardners…in Kamla we Truss

Good luck with that

In reply to Halliwell

We never said, "In Kamla we trust..."

Personally I agree with her sentiments... I have no sympathy for traffickers, gun smugglers, et al

They are the bottom ills of society... Take them out.

Look at what it has done to T&T...allegations are the 1% hiring the locals.

How many of the 1% are arrested?

They have tentacles high up in society to protect them.

The citizens that are caught—who protects them?
Who dies? The citizens, often many innocent ones, in a sacred place—their homes.

US blow em up....

In reply to Halliwell

Tell me when the US acted in the best interest of international and maritime law.

The China Sea?

Get your Brit Navy to come dong and arrest dem..

In reply to sgtdjones

You not taking this seriously

When Kamla allow the US to police wine and jam & we like it so Trinis, de population will experience hell on earth.

You protecting 51st state Canada and selling out the twin island?

In reply to Halliwell

It's a very serious topic ...death by poison.

Cut off such to T&T and watch the deaths drop. Kamla wants this drug surge to stop coming into T&T at all costs.

Trump’s Strike on a Narco-Vessel Saves North American Lives
When Donald Trump ordered the destruction of a Venezuelan narco-vessel in international waters, some critics rushed to call it reckless. But for Canadians living through the drug crisis, his decision struck directly at the heart of what’s been destroying our communities.

Canada loses hundreds of people every month to overdoses. Cities like Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto are drowning in fentanyl deaths. Indigenous reserves, already burdened by decades of social challenges, are being hollowed out by addiction. Funeral after funeral, family after family torn apart—and all the while, cartels and traffickers profit.

These drugs don’t appear magically on Canadian streets. They move along global trafficking routes, from Venezuelan waters through the Caribbean and into North America. When that narco-ship was sunk, it wasn’t just about American security;it was about stopping a poison pipeline before it could flow into Canadian neighbourhoods.

Every shipment cut off at the source means fewer grieving parents, fewer Indigenous youth pulled into gangs and addiction, and fewer emergency rooms pushed to the breaking point. That’s why this action matters.

Trump’s message was clear: there will be consequences for flooding our societies with death. And whether they admit it or not, Canadians benefit from that toughness.Critics may balk at the toughness of the measure. But those critics do not sit across the table from relatives who have buried loved ones. They don’t watch the cycle of crime, addiction, and sorrow tear through reserves. They don’t witness hospital staff fighting to revive overdose victims only to see them return again and again. Canada does. And for us, cutting supply lines isn’t a harsh choice—it’s a life-saving necessity.

This isn’t about politics or war; it’s about lives.
In Canada, where drugs are killing our people every single day, decisive action to choke off supply is not reckless. President Trump’s willingness to act where others hesitate should be recognized for what it is: a defense not only of American security but of North American lives.
It’s necessary. And for that, Trump deserves credit.

Sarge

...........

BeatDballs must be in Trump's reserve in DC...
Here I am supporting the Orange menace, and he is not about.
Let's hope he doesn't see this!!!