When and where were the Venezuelan boats intercepted?
Executive summary
U.S. strikes on small vessels that Washington says were tied to Venezuelan drug networks began in early September 2025 and have been reported in the Caribbean Sea and, more recently, the eastern Pacific, with the first widely publicized strike killing 11 people off Venezuela’s coast [1] [2]. Reporting varies on totals and exact locations: outlets cite at least 14–21 strikes and death tolls ranging from about 61 to 83 people as the campaign and naval buildup unfolded [1] [3] [4] [5].
1. First public strike: a fishing boat off Venezuela’s coast
The first strike made public by the White House was announced on 2 September 2025; President Trump said U.S. forces had struck a fishing boat “off the coast of Venezuela,” killing 11 people—Venezuelan sources suggested the incident occurred on 1 September [1] [6] [2]. Major outlets and encyclopedic summaries place this initial attack in Caribbean waters near Venezuela rather than inside Venezuelan territorial waters [1] [2].
2. Where the campaign has taken place: Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters
Subsequent reporting documents strikes primarily in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela’s coast and, increasingly, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Reuters and The New York Times both map multiple strikes “near the Venezuelan coast” and note later operations farther south into the Pacific [3] [5]. Britannica compiles a chronology that likewise places operations in or near Venezuelan waters beginning in September [1].
3. How many strikes and deaths: differing counts across outlets
The number of strikes and fatalities differs between outlets: Britannica and Reuters reported at least 14 reported operations resulting in at least 61–69 deaths by late October [1] [3]; by mid-November other outlets and analyses put the toll higher—The Guardian, The New York Times and Georgetown cite totals ranging into the 70s and 80s, and some sources say 20 or more strikes have been reported [4] [5] [2]. NPR’s ongoing compilation also lists “more than a dozen” strikes and “more than 70” killed [7] [8]. These disparities reflect different cutoffs, evolving investigations, and the U.S. administration’s selective public details [7] [8].
4. International waters vs. Venezuelan territorial waters: reporting limits
Reporting repeatedly characterizes many strikes as occurring “near” Venezuela and in international waters or off the coast rather than explicitly inside Venezuelan inland or port waters; Reuters and Britannica emphasize “near the Venezuelan coast” and “in international waters” for specific incidents [3] [1]. The New York Times’ satellite analysis shows U.S. naval forces operating 50–100 miles off Venezuela—areas that are generally international waters—though the Times notes data gaps and does not attach every strike to a precise coordinate [5].
5. Sources, labels and evidentiary disputes
The Trump administration has publicly described the targets as narco-trafficking vessels tied to groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles; critics and international bodies dispute the evidence released and question the legal basis for lethal strikes at sea, saying the administration has not disclosed corroborating intelligence or chain-of-custody proof that the boats carried drugs or were gang-operated [6] [7] [9] [8]. AP reporting found a mix among the dead—some civilians and some with criminal records—underscoring the murky on-the-ground facts [10].
6. U.S. naval posture and bases used as staging points
Journalistic analyses document a substantial U.S. naval buildup near Venezuela, including the arrival of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and positioning of cruisers and destroyers tens of miles off the coast; outlets note nearby U.S. facilities in Puerto Rico, Aruba and Curaçao as logistical hubs, though use of some foreign facilities would require host-nation approvals [11] [4] [12] [13]. The New York Times’ satellite review identifies many vessel positions but also flags detection limitations [5].
7. What reporting does not provide (limitations)
Available sources do not provide a single, independently verifiable master list of exact GPS coordinates and legal determinations for each strike; the administration’s public posts, conservative counts, international media tallies and investigative reporting produce different totals and timelines [7] [3] [5]. Where claims are disputed—such as whether specific boats were trafficking narcotics or who was aboard—sources note the absence of publicly released evidence [8] [7].
Bottom line: reporting uniformly places the initial strike in early September off Venezuela’s coast and describes a campaign conducted in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters; however, counts, precise locations, and legal justifications vary across authoritative outlets and investigators, and no single source supplied here publishes a complete, independently verified map of every strike with coordinates [1] [3] [5] [8].