America’s war on narco-terror took another explosive turn this weekend — even as Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro suddenly started preaching “peace.”
The U.S. military carried out another strike in the Pacific on Saturday, marking at least the 21st time the Trump admin has blown a drug-running vessel out of the water in its crackdown on trafficking routes feeding America’s overdose crisis.
“On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X shared by Hegseth.
The strike was deadly and decisive.
“Three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed. The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific and was struck in international waters,” SOUTHCOM added.
Watch the clip below:
On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,… pic.twitter.com/iM1PhIsroj
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 16, 2025
All this comes as tensions with Venezuela spike — and as President Donald Trump revealed Sunday night that diplomatic talks with Maduro’s regime may soon be on the table.
Maduro, speaking to CNN during a rally in Caracas, suddenly shifted into dove mode, urging Americans “to unite for the peace of (the Americas). No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan.”
Asked what he’d say directly to Trump, he replied: “Yes peace, yes peace.”
On the ground, though, Maduro is mobilizing troops, rallying volunteers, and rolling out more air-defense systems — including Russian-made units — as he warns against potential U.S. military action.
But Washington isn’t blinking.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dropped the hammer, announcing that Maduro’s Cartel de los Soles will be formally designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Rubio posted on X.
.@StateDept intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) November 16, 2025
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