Trump claims US ‘destroyed’ ‘major facility’ linked to alleged drug boats

Washington — President Trump said the United States last week “dismantled” a “major facility” linked to alleged drug trafficking operations, although he did not provide many details.

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they were loading the boats with drugs,” Mr. Trump said Monday while speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago.

In a radio interview On Friday, the president said the United States had hit the facility “very hard” two nights before. The president did not give the location of the facility, but he threatened to launch ground strikes in Venezuela following a series of U.S. military strikes on Venezuela. suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.

“We just knocked ourselves out, I don’t know if you’ve read or seen, they have a big factory or a big facility where they ship from, where the ships come from,” Mr. Trump said after calling “Sid and Friends in the Morning” on 77 WABC on Friday. “Two nights ago we knocked him out, so we hit them really hard.”

On Monday, he added that it had hit what he called “the implementation zone,” adding: “which is no longer there.”

THE The New York Times reported that the president was referring to a drug treatment center in Venezuela.

The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. The White House has not yet responded to CBS News’ request for comment.

Since September, the The US military targeted more than two dozen boats the administration says were carrying drugs, killing at least 105 people in strikes.

The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of drug trafficking and collaboration with gangs designated by the United States as terrorist organizations — which Maduro denies. The United States has increased its military presence in the region and recently seized two sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela.