U.S. forces in the Caribbean killed 11 members of a drugs cartel. Who are Tren de Aragua and why do they pose a threat to the United States?
U.S. forces in the Caribbean killed 11 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua narcotics cartel on Sept. 2, when they fired on a boat in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump added the Venezuela-based group to a list of cartels and organized criminal networks that his administration designated as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Here’s what we know about Tren de Aragua and its ties to the Venezuelan government.
What Has Trump Said?
In a post on Truth Social on Sept. 2, the U.S. president said: “Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”
He accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of backing the gang and its criminal activities.
“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.”
Trump said the boat was in international waters and was transporting illegal narcotics to the United States.
“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” he wrote.
Maduro said on Sept. 1 in a rare press conference that with the recent naval deployments in the Caribbean, the United States was seeking regime change in his country.
Venezuela Drug Connection
The World Drug Report, published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in June, estimated that more than 3,708 tons of cocaine were produced globally in 2023, a record amount, and 34 percent more than the previous year.
“This is primarily a reflection of an increase in the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia,” it stated.
While Venezuela is not named in the UNODC report, the country “has historically been a critical point in drug trafficking, especially due to its strategic location between Colombia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine, and the Caribbean,” according to a December 2024 report by the Caracas-based insurance company Venepandi.
“Over the years, the country has seen an increase in narcotrafficking activities, with criminal groups operating in various regions, exploiting political and economic instability,” Venepandi’s report stated.
