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Thanks to oil, Venezuela was once the wealthiest country in the region — before becoming the continent’s poorest, ravaged by corruption and feckless economic policy. And amid the economic decline, high-ranking government officials became conspicuously wealthy. But how? According to U.S. indictments, former government officials, and regional experts, officials linked to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and members of Maduro’s government built a massive drug syndicate — while most of the country increasingly struggled to find food to eat, or medicine to care for the sick. “Venezuela was a narco state several years ago, but it has become darker and...

The rich and famous appeared to have few qualms about palling around with Jeffrey Epstein following the disgraced financier’s 13-month prison stay for soliciting sex from an underage girl, with boldface names appearing on his schedule such as Chris Rock, David Blaine, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon, and the former CEO of one of Donald Trump’s Atlantic City casinos. That’s according to a tranche of emails obtained by The Daily Beast, which reveal others who showed up on Epstein’s dance card as having included music industry titan Tommy Mottola, Wendi Murdoch, Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, late comedian...

WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Friday that the US military carried out a third strike against alleged drug traffickers affiliated with a terror organization — killing “3 male narcoterrorists.” “On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted on Truth Social. The president did not say which terror group was targeted or which nation the vessel originated from.

President Donald Trump confirmed that the U.S. military carried out another strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel, following his recent announcement that we would wage war against narco-terrorists "poisoning" our citizens.In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that, "On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.""Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage en route to poison Americans," he added. READ MORE:Trump Administration Just Put a Massive...

Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean and called for a UN investigation of American strikes that killed over a dozen alleged drug traffickers on boats in recent weeks. Washington has deployed warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by F-35 fighters sent to Puerto Rico in what it calls an anti-drug operation. “It is an undeclared war, and you can already see how people, whether or not they are drug traffickers, have been executed in the Caribbean Sea. Executed without the right to a defence,” Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez...

President Donald Trump announced Monday that U.S. military forces carried out a second strike against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas amid a broader crackdown on the international drug trade. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics … The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces...

US forces conduct another airstrike targeting a reported smuggling vessel in the southern Caribbean

A man fishing in waters off the coast of Costa Rica reeled in an unusual catch -- the first documented orange shark. Garvin Watson reeled in the 6-foot, 6-inch nurse shark while casting his line near Tortuguero National Park in August 2024. "[It was] incredible," Watson told USA Today. "We couldn't believe what we had in front of us, an orange shark that looked like an alien." Watson, owner of the Parismina Domus Dei Hotel, shared photos of his catch on the business' Facebook page.

There probably isn't a more useful policy aim for the U.S. than taking out Venezuela's socialist regime. President Trump has hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan illegal aliens, including many criminals who have wrought mayhem, to deported and sending back to a democracy will be a lot easier. Venezuela's regime has served as a useful catspaw to multiple anti-American dictators, including China's oligarchs, the Russian regime, and the Iranian mullahs to keep the U.S. in check, propping up the otherwise bankrupt regime in power to harass the U.S. They've threatened and attempted to destabilize their neighbors. And close to President Trump's...

A strike carried out by US forces on a boat in the Caribbean Sea - which the White House says killed 11 drug traffickers - may have violated international human rights and maritime law, legal experts have told BBC Verify.President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that US forces destroyed a vessel which he said had departed from Venezuela. He said the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua cartel and was carrying drugs bound for the US.US defence officials have so far declined to offer details on the strike, footage of which Trump shared on Truth Social, including what...

Drone footage of US forces conducting a lethal strike on a reported smuggling vessel in the Southern Caribbean earlier today The U.S. military, ordered by Trump, carried out a strike in international waters destroying a Venezuela drug boat with 11 Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists aboard

BREAKING: President Donald Trump says U.S. shot out a "drug-carrying boat" coming from Venezuela, says more details coming soon.pic.twitter.com/nBGLjiDaQv— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) September 2, 2025

President Donald Trump released a video Tuesday that showed the U.S.'s lethal strike on a vessel involved in the drug trade that was coming out of Venezuela. In the same Truth Social post, the president revealed that 11 Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists were killed in the attack. He initially announced the strike from the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon. 'You'll see that we just, over the last few minutes literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat,' Trump told reporters. The president said he had just been briefed on the matter by the chairman...

The United States is strengthening its naval presence in the waters off Venezuela to counter threats posed by drug cartels. More than 4,000 personnel will be deployed to the area, amid growing tension between Washington and Caracas. The U.S. government has not indicated any intention of a land incursion into the South American nation. The news follows confirmation last week of three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers being deployed to the waters. Then, more recently, Venezuela announced it would send military vessels to the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere to help combat drug trafficking. According to the U.S. Navy’s new chief of...

Summary U.S. naval buildup exceeds usual deployments in Caribbean Venezuelan officials claim U.S. targets their government, not drug cartels Experts suggest U.S. aims to pressure Maduro regime, not just combat drugs WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A large buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean has officials in Caracas and experts in the United States asking: is the move aimed at combating drug cartels, as the Trump administration has suggested, or is it for something else entirely? Seven U.S. warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or are expected to...

U.S. naval buildup framed as anti-smuggling push, but invasion rumors swirl. Venezuelans struggle to keep daily life steady amid fear and uncertainty. Venezuelan president rallies militias and denounced Washington’s “imperialist” threats. CARACAS, Venezuela — U.S. warships steam toward the southern Caribbean. The Trump administration denounces embattled “narco-president” Nicolás Maduro and doubles a bounty on his head to $50 million. Rumors of an invasion, coup or other form of U.S. intervention flood social media. For the beleaguered people of Venezuela, mired in more than a decade of crisis — hyperinflation, food shortages, authoritarian rule and rigged elections — a new phase...

Someone in the cartel is in trouble. The U.S. Coast Guard, in partnership with the Department of Defense, seized over 75,000 pounds of illegal narcotics. The value of the rugs is estimated to be nearly $500 million. Most of the drugs were seized near the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Washington Examiner reported more in-depth details about the drug seizure: The Coast Guard seized more than 75,000 pounds of illegal narcotics, valued at $473 million, from late June to mid-August, the service announced on Monday. The 76,140-pound haul, which was obtained in 19 different interdictions in the Eastern...

For US, a terror threat lurks in drug smuggling subs Shift of cargo to arms and people is feared By Bryan Bender KEY WEST, Fla. - Skimming just below the surface, they are extremely difficult to detect from surveillance aircraft or patrol boats. Their sleek design, up to 80 feet in length, can secretly carry several tons of cargo thousands of miles. These "semi-submersibles," which exhibit some of the same characteristics as military submarines, mark a significant advancement in the ability of drug smugglers to slip past coastal defenses. So far this year, the Coast Guard says it has encountered...

The O’Keefe Media Group released first-ever footage of the mysterious gold-domed building interior of Jeffrey Epstein’s temple following his arrest. The footage received by OMG shows a 360 degree view of Epstein’s temple with a celestial ceiling, astrological figures and bizarre statues. Many of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes were committed on his private island Little St. James in the Caribbean. WATCH:

The United States has ordered the deployment of U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the decision told Reuters on Thursday. The sources had few details of the operation, but President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug gangs that have been designated as global terrorist organizations. The Pentagon had been directed to prepare options. Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and...