A vessel reportedly trafficking narcotics near the shore of Venezuela was struck by the US on October 17, according to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics,” Hegseth said of the strike on X, which was accompanied by a video showing it. “There were three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike—which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”
The three men driving the boat were revealed by the Hegseth to be members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), a Colombian rebel group opposed to the country’s current regime.
On the other hand, the strike received pushback from Colombia President Gustavo Petro, who claimed, opposite to the US, that the destroyed boat belonged to Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza who happened to be driving it, rather than the ELN.
“The fisherman’s boat from Santa Marta was not from the ELN; it belonged to a humble family, lovers of the sea, from which they drew their food,” Petro wrote in a post on X, directed toward President Trump. “What do you say to that family? Explain to me why you helped assassinate a humble fisherman from Santa Marta, the land where Bolívar died, and which they say is the heart of the world.”
“What do you say to the family of the fisherman Alejandro Carranza? He was a humble human being,” Petro continued. “The United States has invaded our national territory, fired a missile to kill a humble fisherman, and destroyed his family, his children. This is Bolívar’s homeland, and they are murdering his children with bombs.”
In August, the US deployed the Navy to Venezuela to surveil cartel operations and has since conducted several strikes on vessels deemed a threat according to US intelligence.
