US official says personnel from Navy ship inspected Venezuelan fishing boat for drugs [View all]

Source: ABC News

September 13, 2025, 7:57 PM


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.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-official-personnel-navy-ship-inspected-venezuelan-fishing/story?id=125546298