Trump says U.S. ‘hit’ Venezuela dock where drugs allegedly loaded on boats

The explosion would mark the first known time the U.S. has carried out operations on land in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had “hit” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, which would mark the first known time the United States has carried out operations on land in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said.

“We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area… it’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”

It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted.

Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: “I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don’t want to say who it was.”

Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

On a radio show last week, Trump had made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a “big facility” in Venezuela.

The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it.