The Venezuelan government accused U.S. personnel of boarding and occupying a civilian fishing boat on Friday, in the latest example of tensions as the U.S. carries out “counter narco-terror operations” in the Caribbean.
A U.S. official told ABC News that Coast Guard personnel stationed aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham searched the fishing boat for drugs following a tip but did not locate any contraband.
Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry office claimed Saturday that the U.S. Navy deployed “eighteen personnel with long-range weapons who boarded and occupied” the Venezuelan fishing vessel in waters within Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“This operation lacks any strategic proportionality and constitutes a direct provocation through the illegal use of excessive military means,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The U.S. official disputed claims from the Venezuelan foreign ministry that the search took eight hours and they contended the boat was in international waters.
According to the Venezuelan government, U. A. In the most recent instance of tensions, members of the U.S. military boarded and occupied a civilian fishing vessel on Friday. S. . conducts “counter narco-terror operations” throughout the Caribbean region.
A U. A. ABC News was informed by the official that Coast Guard members aboard the U.S. S. . When the Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham received a tip, it searched the fishing boat for drugs but found nothing.
The office of Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry asserted on Saturday that the U. S. . The Venezuelan fishing vessel was occupied by “eighteen personnel with long-range weapons” who were sent by the Navy to the waters of Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“This operation is a direct provocation through the unlawful use of excessive military means and lacks any strategic proportionality,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
U. S. . Jason Dunham received instructions to board the Venezuelan small craft to check for drug use, an official with knowledge of the incident told ABC News.
“The Venezuelan craft was boarded by the law enforcement detachment aboard the destroyer, who conducted a search and found no drugs,” the official said.
The U. S. . Officials argued the boat was in international waters and refuted the Venezuelan foreign ministry’s claims that the search took eight hours.
In order to combat illegal drug smuggling, Trump declared earlier this month that he had ordered increased military presence in the ocean.
In September. 2. He declared that the U.S. S. . declared that they had “positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” and ordered an attack on a purported drug boat that came from South America. “Eleven suspected terrorists were killed,” the president said.
