Talk about turning the tables.
In a video declassified by the Trump administration Tuesday and posted to Truth Social by President Donald Trump himself, American authorities showed the interdiction of an alleged Tren de Aragua drug boat in the Caribbean earlier that day.
The interdiction involved sinking the boat — killing 11 aboard, according to the Associated Press, which called it “a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to stem the flow of narcotics from Latin America.”
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.
“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of [Venezuelan dictator] Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump added.
“No U.S. 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.
“BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!” the post concluded.
Donald Trump Truth Social Post 05:22 PM EST 09/02/25
Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist… pic.twitter.com/1I5vBpSowG
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 3, 2025
The White House also posted the video.
???????? ON VIDEO: U.S. Military Forces conducted a strike against Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the U.S. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. pic.twitter.com/iszHE0ttxQ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 2, 2025
The 29-second video features black-and-white footage of the boat crossing the sea, followed by a flash of bright light and the boat catching fire.
While caught from several angles, no identification of the location of the strike was given — but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did confirm it was a “drug vessel” belonging to TdA, which had been eliminated in the Caribbean, according to The Hill.
Now, is this good policy? It’s worth noting, that TdA is designated a terrorist organization, first and foremost. It’s also worth noting the four primary attributes of terrorist attacks: they are 1) on civilians, 2) unpredictable and/or seemingly random, 3) designed to instill fear, and 4) designed to achieve political ends.
Trump checked off every box except for number one. These narcoterrorists intended to achieve all four aims: poisoning our civilians, doing so in an unpredictable manner, instilling fear, and achieving the aim of furthering their narcotic strongholds in the United States.
After this attack, it’ll make a lot of these criminals think twice about them. Inverting the script attains justice and instills deterrence.
This is how the fentanyl crisis will be solved. Not by making pot legal or distributing Narcan, but by making sure these transnational criminals know America, once again, means business.
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