The information was shared by senior officials of the U.S. Government with American media outlets. Photograph: User: Touch of Light / Wikimedia Commons.
Guacamaya, October 17, 2025. On Thursday night, the execution of a sixth attack by the Trump Administration against a suspected drug-running vessel in the Caribbean was made public. The key development in this announcement is that, for the first time, survivors were reported, according to a senior U.S. official who confirmed the information to Reuters, the first outlet to report the incident.
Until now, the White House had previously authorized five similar attacks since September 2, resulting in at least 27 deaths. The sinkings have occurred due to the alleged involvement of the vessels in drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism” networks, which, according to U.S. intelligence, cross the Caribbean from Venezuela.
The fatalities in these operations have been the individuals aboard the vessels, whom Trump has repeatedly labeled as “narco-terrorists.” In the fifth attack, announced a few days ago, six people died, and videos were released showing U.S. missiles striking and destroying the vessels in international waters.
The sixth attack, carried out this Thursday, was not announced directly by Donald Trump, as had been customary, nor were images of the operation released. Instead, officials from his administration confirmed the information to U.S. media, noting the presence of survivors, although their identities and conditions remain unknown.
Since August, the United States has maintained a military deployment in the Caribbean consisting of destroyers equipped with guided missiles, F-35 fighter aircraft, a nuclear submarine, and an estimated force of 6,500 military personnel. Additionally, on Wednesday, it was revealed that Trump formally authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate within Venezuelan territory.
The actions taken by the United States have raised alarms among certain legal scholars and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether these operations comply with the legal framework governing armed conflict. The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has denounced the U.S. military mobilization and its operations as acts of aggression and violations of sovereignty.
