Kamla says 'kill all traffickers' as Trump claims 'lethal strike' on Venezuelan drug boat

AMID the heightened US military presence in the southern Caribbean and a US “lethal strike” on September 2 that allegedly killed 11 people on a boat, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, showed no sympathy for the alleged members of the Venezuela-based transnational criminal organisation, Tren de Aragua (TDA).

“The slaughter of our people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers. The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers, the US military should kill them all violently,” Persad-Bissessar said in a statement later on September 2.

“The restriction of illegal guns, drugs and human trafficking will decrease the violence in the region and in particular our country.”

In her statement, Persad-Bissessar said that she, along with most of the country, was happy that the US naval deployment "is having success in its mission."

She charged that the US government had repeatedly said that going after the drug cartels was its objective, and it had now begun to deliver.

“Illegally trafficked drugs and arms have caused death and destruction in our society over the last 25 years,” Persad-Bissessar said.

“Our country has been ravaged by bloody violence and addiction because of the greed of the cartels.”

Welcoming the US stance, she added, “May God bless and protect the members of the US military who are engaged in the drug interdiction mission. Their efforts will save many lives in our country and the region.”

The incident is the first military attack since the recent surge of warships to the southern Caribbean region.

The US carried out the attack earlier on September 2 on the boat that US President Donald Trump had left Venezuela with illegal drugs on board. Trump said the strike was part of a crackdown on narcotic trafficking.

Via X (formerly Twitter), Trump said he gave the orders to military forces to conduct “a kinetic strike” against “positively identified” TDA narco terrorists in the Southcom area of responsibility.

Trump charged that TDA was operating under the control of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump further accused Maduro of being responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the US and Western Hemisphere.

The US does not consider Maduro to be the legitimate head of the Spanish-speaking nation.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the US. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action,” Trump posed.

He confirmed that no US forces were harmed in the 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!!!”

CCN reported on the strike, saying the move by the US represented a “significant escalation against drug cartels."

The Miami Herald quoted Trump as crediting the military operation to the leadership of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom he praised for both counter-narcotics efforts and earlier actions targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.

The article said Trump also linked the alleged maritime interdiction to Venezuela, a country he repeatedly described as a source of narcotics and other threats.

Trump is quoted as saying, “We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country – coming in for a long time. These came out of Venezuela, and [they’re] coming out very heavily.”

Other officials also posted about the strike.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also shared a 29-second black and white video of the strike. The occupants were in what appeared to be a small fast-moving pirogue that burst into flames.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on the strike. In a post on Fox News on X, Rubio said cartels were in for a rude awakening.

“These particular drugs were probably heading to Trinidad or some other country in the Caribbean, at which point they just contribute to the instability these countries are facing,” Rubio said.

“So the president is very clear, he is going to use the full power of America and the full might of the US to take on and eradicate these drug cartels, no matter where they are operating from and no matter how long they have been able to act with impunity.”

Meanwhile, as the geopolitical tensions between the US and Venezuela intensify, Maduro has publicly said that Venezuela is ready to respond if attacked by forces that the US government deploys in the Caribbean territory.