PHONEY WAR

Report: Suspects Survived Latest Venezuelan Drug-Boat Strike

Footage from the first strike against a smuggling boat off Venezuela, September 2 (White House)

Published Oct 16, 2025 10:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The U.S. military conducted another strike on a drug boat off Venezuela on Thursday, according to Reuters - and this time, there are reports of survivors. The report arrives on the same day as the early and unexpected retirement of the head of U.S. Southern Command. 

The administration began using lethal force against Venezuelan-linked vessels in early September, and the latest strike brings the total count to six intercepts and at least 27 fatalities. The first five attacks were uniformly deadly, whether immediately or after follow-up strikes. In each case, the Pentagon reported only fatalities. The identities of the dead have not been confirmed publicly, though police in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating if two of the deceased may have been Trinidadian citizens. 

After Thursday's attack, a U.S. official quietly told Reuters and CBS that some of the individuals on the boat survived the latest strike. No further details were leaked, leaving unanswered the question of whether the survivors made it to shore alive.

On the same day, Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of Southern Command, announced that he would be retiring effective December 12. Holsey was one year into a multi-year appointment, and did not give a reason for his early departure; CNN reports that there was tension between the admiral and defense secretary Pete Hegseth over the level of aggression used against smugglers in the Caribbean, and that Holsey offered his resignation. (A Pentagon spokesman denied this account.)

Within the military, the strikes have raised certain questions about compliance. Like any other criminals, maritime drug smugglers previously had the opportunity to be arrested alive and tried in a court of law. This remains the case in most global jurisdictions, including the Eastern Pacific drug corridor: the U.S. Coast Guard is still in charge of policing this busy trafficking region, and it arrests suspects alive. Off Venezuela, where the Pentagon directs tracking and interdiction, suspects are neutralized without warning.

"When they're loaded up with drugs, they're fair game," President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday. 

The focus on Venezuelan drug boats is one aspect of a broader U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who is accused by the White House of participating in the drug trade. President Trump has authorized the CIA to begin operations within Venezuela to target traffickers on land, and has mobilized a large strike force to the Caribbean.

Venezuelan Tank Landing Ship Runs Aground, Takes on Water

The tank landing ship Capana (T-61) (FANB)

Published Oct 16, 2025 4:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Bystander photos on Venezuelan social media suggest that one of the country's few naval vessels has gone aground, and it appears to be taking on water. 

The vessel in question is the tank landing ship ARV Capana, identified visually by its pennant number (T-61). It appears to be grounded near Cumarebo, about 175 miles to the northwest of Caracas. It appears to be settling lower in the water than its Plimsoll mark would recommend, based on photos from the scene. 

Capana had been operating as part of an exercise to prepare to defend against an American invasion of Venezuela, according to the Venezuelan military's social media accounts. The Bolivarian Armed Forces have been conducting amphibious assault and mobilization drills since September, and Capana has been among the vessels involved (below). 

It is not the first time that Venezuela's military has lost valuable and scarce vessel assets in routine operations. Previous peacetime casualties include the Venezuelan Coast Guard patrol boat Naiguata (GC-23), which collided with cruise ship RCGS Resolute in 2020 and went down; and Warao (PC-22), which grounded off Brazil in 2012. 

The Venezuelan military is attempting to prepare for a serious confrontation. The Trump administration has assembled a sizeable task force of U.S. Navy warships, Air Force fighters, U.S. special forces units and U.S. Marines in the Caribbean, all aimed at applying pressure to the regime of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. President Trump has also openly confirmed that he has authorized secret CIA missions inside of Venezuela, and the Pentagon has green-lighted half a dozen lethal attacks on suspected drug-smuggling boats off Venezuela's coast.