Naval presence in Caribbean waters following President Donald Trump’s order last month to take action against Latin American drug cartels. Days after sending U.S. gunboats to South American waters, President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. Navy struck a vessel in the southern Caribbean carrying what he described as a Venezuelan drug shipment. Washington accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and has put a $50 million bounty on his head. Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term as Venezuela’s president in January 2025, following an election widely criticized as fraudulent. The Venezuela government had not responded to the U.S. strike or President Trump’s claims prior to publication.