Rubio says US military strikes on drug smugglers ‘will happen again’
By Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press, Matthew Lee, The Associated Press and Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press
Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025
President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified the lethal military strike that his administration said was carried out a day earlier against a Venezuelan gang as a necessary effort by the United States to send an unmistakable message to Latin American cartels.
Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and capture those on board, Trump said the operation would cause drug smugglers to think twice about trying to move drugs into the U.S.
“There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said while hosting Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House. He added, “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’”
Tuesday’s strike was an astonishing departure from typical U.S. drug interdiction efforts at a time when Trump has ordered a major Navy buildup in the waters near Venezuela.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/09/03/rubio-says-us-military-strikes-on-drug-smugglers-will-happen-again/
