CIA Drone Strike Targets Venezuelan Drug Trafficking Dock/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The CIA conducted a drone strike on a Venezuelan dock suspected of drug trafficking operations. Former President Donald Trump hinted at the operation but didn’t confirm CIA involvement. The strike escalates U.S. efforts against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
CIA Drone Strike Venezuela Quick Looks
- A covert CIA drone strike hit a dock in Venezuela tied to drug smuggling.
- This marked the first known direct U.S. strike inside Venezuelan territory since September.
- Donald Trump referred to the operation during a radio interview but offered no operational details.
- Trump declined to say whether the strike was military or CIA-led.
- U.S. Special Operations Command denied any role in the mission.
- The drone strike is part of a larger pressure campaign targeting Maduro’s regime.
- Trump previously admitted authorizing CIA operations inside Venezuela.
- U.S. law requires briefing select congressional leaders on CIA covert actions.
- Nicolás Maduro is under a longstanding U.S. narcoterrorism indictment.
- The Venezuelan government did not publicly acknowledge or respond to the strike.
CIA Drone Strike Targets Venezuelan Drug Trafficking Dock
Deep Look
The CIA executed a drone strike last week on a Venezuelan dock suspected of being used by drug cartels, according to two individuals with knowledge of the classified operation. These sources, who requested anonymity, confirmed the agency’s involvement in what marks a rare direct action by the U.S. inside Venezuela.
This incident is the first known land-based operation targeting Venezuela since a U.S. military buildup began in the Caribbean in August, and it intensifies ongoing pressure against President Nicolás Maduro’s administration. Venezuelan officials have not confirmed or commented on the strike.
President Donald Trump first referenced the operation during an interview on WABC radio, vaguely stating that the U.S. had taken out a major facility “where ships come from.” Days later, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump clarified it was a “dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.” However, he declined to specify whether the operation was conducted by the military or the CIA.
The CIA and the White House refused to comment. Colonel Allie Weiskopf, spokesperson for U.S. Special Operations Command, issued a statement confirming the military did not participate in the mission or provide intelligence support, further indicating the operation was CIA-driven and separate from conventional military efforts.
The drone strike followed several months of heightened U.S. engagement in the Caribbean region, which began in August with a buildup of American forces and continued with at least 30 strikes on suspected drug transport vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the Trump administration implemented a naval blockade to intercept oil tankers under Venezuelan sanctions.
Although this is the first CIA strike inside Venezuela to be publicly disclosed, Trump has for months suggested such action was imminent. In October, he openly stated that he had granted the CIA authority to conduct covert operations within Venezuelan borders.
Trump cited two reasons for his decision: first, he claimed the Maduro government had released criminals into the United States, and second, he pointed to an influx of narcotics trafficked from Venezuela by sea. “They have emptied their prisons into the United States of America,” he said. “And the other thing, the drugs—we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.”
Under U.S. law, the president must notify the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House intelligence committees about covert CIA actions. By assigning this strike to the CIA rather than the military, Trump may have aimed to avoid the heightened scrutiny military operations typically receive from Congress and the public.
President Maduro, who has faced a federal indictment in the United States since 2020 for narcoterrorism and related offenses, has not responded to the reports of the CIA operation. In fact, during a recent hour-long speech at a leadership event, Maduro made no reference to the strike or to any U.S. activity.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest—from $25 million to $50 million—underscoring the significance Washington places on apprehending the Venezuelan leader and dismantling what it describes as a narco-state.
The CIA’s reported involvement in this latest strike suggests a strategic shift in U.S. tactics, one that prioritizes intelligence-led, covert action over conventional military engagement. Whether this approach will have a lasting impact on the Maduro regime or disrupt the flow of narcotics remains to be seen.
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