President Donald Trump delivered remarks quantifying the dangers Venezuelan drug-carrying vessels pose to the U.S. during a publicly televised military gathering on Tuesday.
At Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Trump provided purported figures for the number of deaths the alleged drug boats are responsible for.
“Every boat kills about 25,000 people,” Trump claimed during his speech, noting afterward that “some people” say the figures are higher.
The boats were carrying fentanyl and many other drugs, the president said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the unexpected meeting last Thursday, calling for nearly 800 of the military’s top generals and admirals — senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers — to meet at the base.
Trump contextualized the strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug vessels as part of an ongoing counter-narcotics effort to prevent the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.
The president said that 300,000 people died in 2024 “because of what is coming into our border,” when speaking about the toll of narcotics on American citizens.
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87,000 people died from a drug overdose during that time, a significant decrease from the 114,000 who died the previous year.
It was the fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2020, per the CDC.
The U.S. has launched at least three strikes on Venezuelan drug-carrying vessels since the beginning of September, though during Trump’s speech he listed the number of destroyed boats as four.
On Sept. 2, the U.S. carried out a strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-carrying vessel, killing 11 individuals that Trump identified as part of the Tren de Aragua gang in a Truth Social post.
The U.S. conducted another strike on Sept. 15 and Sept. 19, resulting in the death of six individuals.
“If you try to poison our people, we will blow you out of existence,” Trump said at the Tuesday gathering.
He chastised the previous administration, claiming America was not respected during that time and that the country was dead and going to hell.
Trump also explained that designating cartels as terrorist organizations — which he did on his first day of office through an executive order — offered a “tremendous advantage” to the military.
The order allows the administration the authority to use military force against the narcotics organizations.
There are currently eight Navy vessels assigned to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations in support of counter-narcotics efforts in the region.
They include the USS Stockdale, the USS Jason Dunham, USS Gravely, USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, USS San Antonio, USS Lake Erie and USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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