The former president later posted a video on his Truth Social platform showing a speedboat exploding at sea.
The United States military on Tuesday carried out a rare strike in the southern Caribbean, killing at least 11 people on board a Venezuelan vessel allegedly ferrying narcotics, President Donald Trump announced.
Speaking at the White House, Trump boasted that American forces had “literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat,” describing the action as part of his administration’s renewed offensive against cartels.
The former president later posted a video on his Truth Social platform showing a speedboat exploding at sea.
He claimed the crew members were part of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal network the U.S. recently designated a terrorist group, and further alleged the gang is being “controlled by Nicolás Maduro’s regime” in Caracas.
“The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. forces were harmed,” Trump said.
But the Maduro government quickly dismissed the American account. Venezuela’s Communications Minister, Freddy Ñáñez, said the footage Trump shared looked like it was generated with artificial intelligence.
Initial checks by Reuters, however, found no signs of manipulation, though the agency said verification of the video was ongoing.
The Pentagon has yet to release details on the nature of the operation — including the type or quantity of narcotics supposedly on board — raising questions among regional analysts.
“This is highly unusual. Being suspected of carrying drugs doesn’t carry a death sentence,” warned Adam Isacson, a security expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, stressing that the action resembled America’s counterterrorism playbook more than routine anti-drug enforcement.
The strike is the first publicly acknowledged operation since Trump ordered the deployment of seven U.S. warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the Caribbean, along with more than 4,500 sailors and Marines. U.S. spy planes have also been flying surveillance missions over the waters in recent weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the action, insisting the drugs “were probably headed to Trinidad or some other Caribbean country,” and pledged that the Trump administration would take the fight to cartels.
The escalation has further inflamed tensions with Venezuela, where officials accuse Washington of manufacturing a narrative to justify military aggression. Last month, the U.S. doubled its bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, alleging deep ties between his government and criminal groups.
Caracas insists Tren de Aragua was dismantled in a 2023 prison raid and is no longer active in the country.