Maduro Regime Yet to Confirm Trump's Claim That U.S. Destroyed Drug Facility in Venezuela

The Maduro regime has not confirmed President Donald Trump's claim that U.S. forces destroyed a drug trafficking facility inside the country, and there has been no public acknowledgment from Venezuelan authorities or other regional governments that such an attack took place.

In fact, as The New York Times, who broke the story, reported over the weekend, "military officials said they had no information to share, and the Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment" as did The White House.

Speaking by phone on Dec. 26 with The Cats & Cosby Show, Trump said that U.S. forces had carried out a strike days before Christmas against what he described as a major installation linked to drug trafficking. He added that the target was a "big plant or a big facility where the ships come from," adding, "two nights ago we knocked that out."

The president did not specify the location of the facility, the type of forces involved, or how the operation was conducted. U.S. officials later said Trump was referring to a drug-related site in Venezuela, but provided no further details. Such an attack would be the first on land since President Trump began his military campaign against the South American nation.

Trump framed the alleged strike as part of a broader campaign to disrupt maritime drug trafficking routes from South America. He claimed the administration's interdiction efforts had sharply reduced drug flows, saying that "the drugs have dropped more than 97%. Can you believe it?" He also defended the use of force, arguing that destroying boats and facilities saves lives in the United States.

During the same interview, Trump linked drug trafficking to other elements of his policy toward Venezuela, including migration and energy. He accused Nicolás Maduro of exporting criminality and referenced the Tren de Aragua gang. "They took our oil. And they also sent millions of people from prisons to our country," Trump said, without offering evidence.

The comments came amid heightened U.S. pressure on Caracas. In recent months, U.S. forces have carried out strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that Washington says were transporting cocaine. According to public reporting, those operations have resulted in at least 105 deaths.

The Trump administration has also moved to intercept sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers in recent weeks and described its actions as part of an effort to cut off revenue to Maduro's government. U.S. officials have told the United Nations they intend to enforce sanctions "to the maximum extent."