President Donald Trump said the United States recently destroyed a major facility in Venezuela tied to drug trafficking, a claim that, if confirmed, would represent a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign against the South American nation.
Trump made the remarks during a radio interview on 77 WABC’s “Sid and Friends in the Morning,” while discussing his administration’s efforts to disrupt narcotics flows from the region. He described the target as a large site used to support drug-smuggling operations by sea. Trump said: “And we just knocked out, I don’t know if you read or you saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from. Two nights ago we knocked that out, so we hit them very hard.”
In the interview with WABC radio, the station’s owner, John Catsimatidis, argued that “Venezuela is going to provide a lot more oil to the United States of America if Maduro leaves,” referring to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Trump replied, “well, it’s about a lot of things. It’s about that. It’s about, you know, they took our oil, they took it, and they also sent millions of people in there from jails into our country, from jail, some of the worst people on Earth.”
The president offered no location or operational details during the interview, and U.S. officials have not independently confirmed the reported strike – leaving key questions unanswered about the scope and consequences of the alleged operation. The Pentagon referred questions about Trump’s statements to the White House, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The CIA also declined to discuss the matter. The New York Times later reported that U.S. officials said Trump was referring to a drug facility in Venezuela that had been eliminated, though they also declined to provide specifics.
Speaking to reporters Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump expanded on his comments, pointing to damage at a port area allegedly used to load drugs onto boats. “Well, it doesn’t matter, but there was a major explosion in the dock area, where they load the boats up with drugs,” he said. He added that the strike hit what he called “the implementation area,” saying, “that is no longer around.”
If accurate, the strike would mark the first publicly acknowledged U.S. attack on land inside Venezuela since the Trump administration began a broader counternarcotics campaign that has largely focused on maritime operations. Since September, the U.S. military has targeted more than two dozen vessels it says were carrying drugs, resulting in at least 105 deaths, according to U.S. figures. Earlier this month, Trump ordered what he called a “complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, striking at the government’s primary revenue source. U.S. forces have since seized oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast.
The president has repeatedly accused Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking and collaborating with criminal groups designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations, allegations Maduro denies. Trump has also claimed — without evidence — that Venezuela released prisoners who later entered the United States. Trump last week suggested it would be “smart” for Maduro to step aside, saying: “He can do whatever he wants, it’s alright, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
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