Venezuelan officials and local residents have reported a possible U.S. military strike on a stretch of coastline near the border with Colombia, signaling increased tension between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The incident reportedly took place in the western Gulf of Venezuela, in an area known for maritime trafficking and recent cocaine shipments through the Caribbean. Residents from Colombia’s La Guajira region said they heard a loud explosion in mid-December, followed by dark smoke rising from the sea. Video footage of the aftermath has circulated on social media, showing what is believed to be evidence of a U.S.-led counternarcotics operation.
Two days after the event, debris washed ashore near Puerto López. Locals and officials described finding a burned vessel about 30 meters long, two damaged bodies, and scattered debris including charred fuel drums and life vests. Some packages among the wreckage contained traces that smelled like marijuana.
Telemundo broadcast images of metal fragments recovered on Venezuelan territory in Alta Guajira. Weapons experts interviewed by the network suggested that these fragments could be parts from either an AGM-114 Hellfire missile or its newer AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile variant—both used by MQ-9 Reaper drones or U.S. attack helicopters.
Witnesses in Alta Guajira recounted experiencing “an explosion” that destroyed at least two rural wooden structures near the coast on December 18. The blast also damaged fishing equipment and left metallic debris across the area. Some residents reported temporary hearing loss after the incident.
According to local accounts collected by reporters, armed groups—including drug trafficking organizations—have operated openly in this region until recently, when U.S. strikes against suspected traffickers’ vessels began increasing.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that “the United States had destroyed a docking area used by suspected drug traffickers in Venezuela,” but did not specify whether military or intelligence agencies conducted the operation nor gave details about casualties or exact location: “There was a big explosion in the dock area where they load the boats with drugs,” Trump said during remarks at his Mar-a-Lago residence alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The reported strike coincides with “Operation Southern Spear,” an ongoing campaign targeting drug trafficking networks across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean led by U.S. forces. According to American authorities, more than 35 vessels have been destroyed and over 100 people killed as part of this operation over five months; on December 31, additional strikes targeted three more boats allegedly linked to narcotics activities.
If verified, this would represent the first publicly known instance of U.S. forces striking a land target inside Venezuela as part of their anti-narcotics operations.
Members of Venezuela’s Wayuu indigenous community told NBC News and Telemundo that they witnessed an explosion destroying a storage structure on December 18—a site allegedly used by armed groups such as Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), which operates across both countries’ borders and is involved in cross-border drug trafficking.
Venezuelan authorities have neither confirmed nor denied any land-based attack but President Maduro addressed concerns during a televised statement: “Our national defense system, which unites the people, the military and the police, guarantees peace and territorial integrity,” he said while promising further comment soon.
Maduro also denied allegations regarding illegal drug production within Venezuela and expressed willingness for dialogue with Washington: “If they truly want to talk seriously about fighting drug trafficking, we are ready.”
Both Venezuelan and Colombian governments have condemned recent U.S. operations as unlawful acts involving extrajudicial killings; meanwhile, warnings from United Nations officials suggest such strikes could breach international law.
Recent satellite imagery shows increased U.S. military presence off Venezuela’s coast—including deployment of aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford north of Caracas—part of efforts aimed at dismantling alleged criminal networks like Cartel de los Soles which Washington accuses Maduro’s regime of running; Caracas denies these charges amidst escalating tensions between both nations.
