The US navy has killed at least 32 people in air strikes on boats allegedly trafficking drugs off the coast of Venezuela
US intelligence has assessed that little to no Fentanyl trafficked to the US is being produced in Venezuela, contradicting recent claims from US President Donald Trump to justify airstrikes on alleged drug boats, Drop Site News (DSN) reported on 24 October.
Trump claimed last month that boats targeted in US airstrikes in the Caribbean were carrying Fentanyl to the US.
"Every boat kills 25,000 on average — some people say more. You see these boats, they're stacked up with bags of white powder that's mostly Fentanyl and other drugs, too," Trump said.
US strikes on vessels operating in international waters in the Caribbean Sea since September have killed at least 32 people.
However, a senior US official directly familiar with the matter stated that Fentanyl is not being produced in Venezuela and sent to the US.
“The official noted that many of the boats targeted for strikes by the Trump administration do not even have the requisite gasoline or motor capacity to reach US waters,” DSN reported.
The lack of intelligence linking Venezuela with fentanyl production is further evidence that the strikes are driven by an effort to topple the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump has used allegations of Venezuelan drug trafficking, including claims without evidence that Maduro is leading a drug cartel, as the justification for overthrowing the socialist government.
In a post on social media, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth equated the alleged threat of Venezuelan drug cartels to that of Al-Qaeda.
"Just as Al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people," Hegseth said, adding that "there will be no refuge or forgiveness – only justice."
His comments come just a few weeks after the founder of Al-Qaeda in Syria, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, met with US officials in New York. Sharaa seized power in Damascus in December, declaring himself president, with US backing.
Two sources familiar with discussions at the White House told DSN that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the driving force behind the regime change effort.
Secretary Rubio has earmarked millions of dollars previously allocated for "pro-democracy" measures in Venezuela to prepare for a war.
The sources cited Rubio's desire to access Venezuela's vast oil resources as the reason for seeking regime change.
On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed it was deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean Sea, adding to the thousands of troops deployed to the Venezuelan coast.
The same day, Trump announced he was imposing sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his family, accusing him of failing to stop the flow of cocaine entering the US.
The sanctions come after Trump described Petro as an "illegal drug leader."
In a statement on X, Petro called the sanctions a "paradox," reminding Trump that Colombia has long partnered with the US in counter-narcotics operations.
"Fighting drug trafficking for decades, and effectively, has brought me this measure from the government of the very society we helped so much to stop their cocaine consumption," the Colombian president wrote.
"A complete paradox — but not one step back, and never on our knees."
