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.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the incident confirmed to ABC News that the Jason Dunham received information to board the Venezuelan small craft to see if it was carrying drugs.
The law enforcement detachment aboard the destroyer boarded the Venezuelan craft and carried out a search that turned up no drugs, according to the official.
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.
Trump announced earlier this month that he ordered more military presence in the ocean to tackle illegal drug smuggling.
On Sept. 2, he announced that the U.S. ordered a strike on an alleged drug boat that originated from South America and “positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists.” The president said 11 alleged terrorists were killed.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near the same U.S. Navy vessel — the USS Jason Dunham — in international waters in a “highly provocative move” that it said aimed to disrupt the U.S. operations.
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