They thought they could sneak drugs into our country. They thought wrong.
President Trump’s War Department just lit up another enemy vessel—this time, not from Venezuela but from Colombia. And let’s just say, the message was loud and clear: Narco-terrorists, you’re being hunted.
Over the weekend, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that a ship tied to a Colombian terrorist group called the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) was taken out in a precision strike ordered by President Trump. This group isn’t just some backwater gang. They’re a full-blown, designated terrorist organization. And now, they’re short three members—because every single one aboard that vessel is dead.
According to Hegseth, the ship was loaded with narcotics and moving through a known drug trafficking route in the USSOUTHCOM area. That’s the U.S. military’s zone of responsibility covering South America. In other words, this wasn’t some fishing boat gone astray. This was a drug-running death trap on a mission to poison Americans.
Watch Hegseth’s powerful announcement for yourself:
On October 17th, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a Designated Terrorist Organization, that was operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
The… pic.twitter.com/1v7oR879LC
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 19, 2025
In his statement, Hegseth didn’t mince words. He called these cartels “the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere” and made it clear that the U.S. military is now treating them like the terrorists they are. “They will be hunted and killed, just like Al Qaeda,” he said.
And if you think this is some one-off strike, think again. This is part of a full-scale crackdown that’s been building for weeks. Just earlier this month, another vessel—this one from Venezuela—was destroyed in international waters. It was carrying what Trump called “enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE.”
The War Department confirmed that six terrorists were killed in that strike. No American lives were lost. That’s what we call strength with precision.
And back in September, President Trump kicked off this campaign with a strike on a Venezuelan boat linked to the Tren de Aragua—a violent criminal organization that’s been spreading death and chaos across Latin America and now trying to bring that poison into our country.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t just about stopping drug shipments. It’s about defending our border, protecting our kids, and showing the world that America is done playing defense. Under Trump, we’re on offense.
The ELN, like the cartels in Venezuela and beyond, thought they could operate in the shadows. They thought U.S. leadership was too soft, too slow, or too distracted to respond. But those days are over.
This is a new era of national defense. Terrorist organizations, no matter where they hide, are fair game. Whether it’s the jungles of Colombia or the high seas, if you try to smuggle drugs into this country, you’re not just risking arrest—you’re risking annihilation.
And let’s give credit where it’s due. This is the kind of action we didn’t see under the last administration. Biden and his crew were more interested in “root causes” and “restorative justice” than protecting American lives. Trump doesn’t play that game. His policy is simple: You kill Americans with drugs, we’ll take you out before you even get close.
So to the narco-terrorists watching this unfold—take notes. The U.S. military is back in the fight. We see you. We know who you are. And we’re not waiting for you to reach our shores.
This is what real leadership looks like. And judging by the reactions online, Americans are here for it.