Screenshot of a video released by the US War Secretary showing the assassination of three Venezuelans on a small boat allegedly carrying drugs. Photo: Screenshot/X/@DOWresponse.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—US President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, Monday, a second “kinetic strike” against a stalled small boat allegedly carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela. In the announcement, the US ruler acknowledged the summary execution of three unidentified male Venezuelan civilians.
The statement coincided with the release of an extremely blurry video by the US secretary of war. The video shows a stalled boat displaying no signs of violence before being obliterated by an explosion. The video lacked the visual sharpness and information about the date or location necessary for a fair analysis of the incident, similar to the video from a first execution reported on September 2.
According to Trump’s statement, the vessel was in international waters when it was attacked. Trump claimed the operation resulted in the deaths of individuals whom he baselessly dismissed as “terrorists.” This announcement followed a previously reported first attack and was framed by the US regime as part of a campaign to justify a broad military deployment in the Caribbean Sea.
🚨 14 alleged Venezuelans killed by the US this month.
The self-appointed "international executioner" strikes again.
If the US truly wants to fight drugs, it should start with its own internal demand and legal interdictions in the Pacific Ocean—not extrajudicial killings.
This… https://t.co/C64XDWg3f7
— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) September 15, 2025
Trump wrote the following:
This morning, on my orders, US military forces conducted a second kinetic strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in international waters, transporting illegal narcotics — a deadly weapon poisoning Americans — en route to the US. These extremely violent drug trafficking organizations pose a threat to US national security, foreign policy, and vital US interests. The strike resulted in three male terrorists killed in action. No US forces were harmed.
Be warned: If you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you. The illicit activities of these cartels have wrought devastating consequences on American communities for decades, contributing to the deaths of countless American citizens. No longer.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,” wrote the controversial ruler.
Hours later, during a White House ceremony, Trump was questioned about proof of the US claims. “What you have to do is look at the cargo that was splattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl, all over the place,” he said. “And we have recorded evidence that they were leaving…”
This additional statement contained Trump’s second reference in a week to “fentanyl” allegedly coming from Venezuela. Experts point to Mexico and Canada as the main entry routes for this drug into US territory; Venezuela has never been accused of serving as a transit route for it. Furthermore, his claim that the alleged criminals “were leaving” contradicts the video released by the US, which shows a small boat with barely identifiable occupants appearing to wait quietly.
Analysts note that the repeated use of the term “Venezuelan narcoterrorists” is part of a strategy to build a narrative that seeks to present Venezuela as a source of widespread drug trafficking. This is despite the fact that the United Nations, the European Union, and even the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) consider the South American nation to be free of drug production and processing, noting that only about 5% of Colombian cocaine entering the US passes through the country.
Minutes before Trump made his announcement, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in a press conference, not only categorically denied Trump’s version of events but also demanded an investigation into the video used as evidence to justify the first execution that reportedly killed 11 people.
President Maduro explained that his government was conducting a proper investigation into this first extrajudicial killing while demanding that the US president order a high-level investigation to clarify the controversy about the video and the military operation itself. He noted that “no US agency has officially confirmed” the number of people killed beyond Trump’s statements on social media.
The Venezuelan president argued that the US has a clear objective: to falsely link Venezuela to drug trafficking, paint it as a narco-state, and thus create a pretext to justify a military aggression aimed at regime change. “You can’t play with lives, with the truth, or with the image of a country,” stated President Maduro.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
