Here are the facts on the U.S. military operation against Venezuela | CBC News

A dramatic U.S. military attack on an alleged drug smuggling boat off the coast of Venezuela was the first — but not the last — move in a wider operation, according to officials.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says military operations will continue, setting the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America.

Late on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump released a video showing the strike from the air that destroyed a small vessel. Trump later said it was carrying “massive amounts of drugs” and 11 “terrorists,” all of whom were killed.

The move follows a military buildup that started weeks ago, including moving warships closer to Venezuela, along with thousands of troops. The military says the operation is aimed at stopping cartels from shipping drugs to the U.S.

Trump suggested the video was intended to deter others. “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,” he said.

Without providing evidence, Trump said the 11 killed were part of the Tren de Aragua gang.

What is Tren de Aragua?

Tren de Aragua is a drug cartel that began as a prison gang formed by inmates in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua more than a decade ago. It’s known for extreme violence, including beheadings and burying people alive. One of the founders, Hector Guerrero, has been in and out of jail for years.

Over the years, the group spread its operations to Chile, Colombia and other neighbouring countries, and then more recently, to New York, Chicago and the suburbs of Denver. Authorities say its members are responsible for kidnapping, extortion, sex trafficking and drug smuggling.

The Biden administration designated Tren de Aragua a transnational crime organization last year.

Once Trump resumed the presidency, he went further. In February, he designated Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization,” along with other similar groups in Latin America, something normally used for political groups such as al-Qaeda, not criminal gangs.

Trump holds the group responsible for what he describes as a flow of violent migrants into the U.S. who he says terrorize people in cities.

What are the gang’s links to President Maduro?

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denies any links to Tren de Aragua. The Venezuelan government claims it dismantled the gang in 2023 and goes so far as to say it is a fiction created by the international media.

It also says the gang is part of a plot backed by the U.S. and Venezuela’s opposition to kill Maduro and destabilize the country.

But the Trump administration calls Maduro one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers, saying he is working with the cartels to flood the U.S. with fentanyl-laced cocaine.

These allegations pre-date Trump’s current term. Maduro was indicted in New York in 2020 on narco-terrorism charges, and a $15 million US reward offered for his arrest. The Biden administration later raised that to $25 million. Then last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled it to $50 million.

Bondi said $700 million in assets linked to Maduro have been seized, including two private jets and seven tons of cocaine.

Will the U.S. invade Venezuela?

By mid-August, it was clear the U.S. had decided to get the military involved.

Three navy destroyers and a cruiser have been moved closer to the Venezuelan coast in recent weeks. A military official said three amphibious assault ships would also be in the region by next week. They are capable of carrying more than 4,000 soldiers and marines.

So far there’s no indication that an invasion is imminent. But the military and the Trump administration are also not saying a lot about the extent of its operation.

When asked whether the U.S. would consider military strikes on Venezuela, press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t say no. “The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” she said.

What’s the Maduro government’s reaction?

Maduro spoke to the Venezuelan people on Monday, asking them to prepare for an invasion.

“In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela,” Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterized as “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.”

He deployed troops along the coast and at the border with Colombia. He also urged Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said, “let us immediately demand an end to this deployment, which has no other reason than to threaten a sovereign people.”

Maduro’s legitimacy problem

Maduro claimed once again this week that he won last year’s presidential election. But that is heavily disputed. Canada says the claim that he won is fraudulent and does not recognize his leadership, nor does the U.S.

Venezuela’s political opposition has been pressuring the U.S. and other countries to help remove Maduro from office. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says the U.S. military deployment is the right approach, saying Maduro’s government is a criminal enterprise.