President Trump Claims US Has Again Attacked A Ship Suspected Of Carrying Drugs

JAKARTA - United States forces attacked another vessel suspected of carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday night, President Donald Trump said Sunday, adding that his country would also begin investigating drug trafficking taking place on land.

President Trump made the comments during a speech at Norfolk Naval Base, alongside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. It was not immediately clear whether he was referring to the attack announced Friday by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The attack, at least the fourth in recent weeks, killed four people.

"In recent weeks, the Navy has been supporting our mission to destroy the terrorist cartels. We conducted another attack last night. Now we can't find them," President Trump said, according to Reuters on October 6.

"They're no longer coming by sea, so now we have to start looking on land because they're going to be forced to come by land."

The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but President Nicolas Maduro released a video message on Telegram shortly after Trump's announcement.

In the message, he condemned U.S. aggression against Venezuela and said his country was ready to provide diplomatic support.

"Our people have never been and will never be afraid to defend their right to life and liberty," President Maduro said, without referring to President Trump's recent comments.

"We will be ready for any scenario," he asserted.

As previously reported, Defense Secretary Hegseth told Fox News in an interview broadcast Sunday that he had all the necessary authorizations for an attack on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean.