[News] Video of So-Called 'Drug Boat' Sunk by US Empire Near Venezuela Sparks Controversy (+AI Generation)

[Anti-Imperialist News]

orinocotribune.com
<https://orinocotribune.com/video-of-so-called-drug-boat-sunk-by-us-empire-near-venezuela-sparks-controversy-ai-generation/>
Video of So-Called 'Drug Boat' Sunk by US Empire Near Venezuela Sparks
Controversy (+AI Generation)
orinocotribune
September 4, 2025
------------------------------

[image: Screenshot of video footage released by the US empire's department
of defense, showing a strike against a small boat allegedly carrying drugs.
Photo: CNN.]

Screenshot of video footage released by the US empire's department of
defense, showing a strike against a small boat allegedly carrying drugs.
Photo: CNN.

The president of the US empire, Donald Trump, and secretary of state, Marco
Rubio, have claimed that US imperial military forces carried out a “lethal
attack” on a “vessel” they said was transporting drugs from Venezuela in
Caribbean waters.

The attack, allegedly made this Tuesday, September 2, comes following the
news about eight warships from the US colony being deployed in the
Caribbean, which Washington claims are being used to combat drug
trafficking. It also accuses President Nicolás Maduro’s government of
involvement in drug trafficking—most notably with no evidence for their
claims—and has increased the reward for information leading to his
“capture,” violating international laws and conventions.

“This morning, pursuant to my orders, US Military Forces conducted a
kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua (TDA)
narco-terrorists in the Southern Command area of responsibility,” Trump
claimed on social media. “The TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist
Organization operating under the control of Nicolás Maduro.”

President Trump added that “the attack occurred while the terrorists were
in international waters transporting illegal narcotics bound for the United
States. The attack resulted in the deaths of 11 terrorists in action. No
members of the US Armed Forces were injured. Please let this serve as a
warning to anyone considering importing drugs into the United States. Be
carefull! Thank you for your attention!”

Secretary Rubio reiterated what Trump said on social media: “Today the US
military carried out a lethal attack in the southern Caribbean against a
drug vessel that had departed Venezuela and was being operated by a
designated narcoterrorist organization.”

Both Trump and Rubio accompanied their posts with the following video.
Information such as the location, date, time of recording, and other
details were blurred in the video:

*Contradictions*
The video generated numerous reactions on social media, including disbelief
and outrage. Even mainstream media usually complacent with Washington’s
imperialist narratives gave space to analyze the truth of the likely
fictional video footage.

Some people, like journalist Helena Villar, RT’s correspondent in the US
colony, wondered <https://x.com/HelenaVillarO/status/1963003188413714792>
how such a small boat could fit 11 people and a large amount of drugs. “If
they really killed 11 people in the attack on that boat, there were fewer
drugs than at a fraternity party on an American campus,” the journalist
opined. “It simply doesn’t fit.”

Others highlighted possible violations of international law, human rights,
and due process, as the vessel was not boarded and detained, nor were its
occupants arrested and interrogated in compliance with current
international protocols. The identities of the deceased, nor their ages or
genders, have been revealed, nor has it been reported whether the bodies
were recovered and will be returned to their families. “How did they know
the vessel was carrying drugs before attacking it? Cartels don’t place
large emblems on their cargo,” noted the Venezuelanalysis
<https://x.com/venanalysis/status/1962961651088461941> website, which also
emphasized: “The US president does not have the power to order
assassinations on foreign soil or in international waters.”

The La Tabla news website published
<https://x.com/venanalysis/status/1962961651088461941> an article
criticizing the immediate use of lethal force and the failure to comply
with protocols requiring gradual escalation (signals, warnings, non-lethal
force). It notes that the use of Aegis destroyers (for naval warfare)
against a speedboat is disproportionate, and that there is no evidence of
boarding attempts or cargo identification, a mandatory step in real
interdiction.

“The ‘narcoterrorism’ narrative is not supported by operational data,
suggesting an ex post facto justification,” says La Tabla.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also weighed
<https://x.com/venanalysis/status/1962961651088461941> in on the matter:
“If this is true, it’s murder anywhere in the world. We’ve been capturing
civilians transporting drugs for decades without killing them. Those
transporting drugs aren’t the big drug traffickers, but the very poor young
people of the Caribbean and the Pacific.”

Some people reasoned that a boat carrying drug shipments does not normally
carry so many people and that it could be a sign of another type of
activity (illegal immigrants, human trafficking, etc.). Therefore, they
believe the way the boat was attacked could have resulted in the deaths of
innocent people.

Rubio was questioned by reporters on Tuesday about the location of the
boat’s sinking, its size, and other details, to which he responded that the
Pentagon would provide more information in the coming hours. However, he
did state <https://x.com/venanalysis/status/1962961651088461941> that the
boat was “probably headed to Trinidad,” which reinforces the aforementioned
doubts, given the illegal migrant routes between that island and Venezuela.

Several people claim that the video shows no more than four or five people,
not 11, as Trump claimed. Another interesting detail is that Trump accused
the alleged drug traffickers of being part of the “Tren de Aragua,” despite
the fact that in recent weeks he had stopped mentioning that particular
organization, preferring instead to mention the fictional “Cartel of the
Suns.”

*AI usage*
Venezuela’s Minister for Communications Freddy Ñáñez stated that there is a
high probability that the video was generated by artificial intelligence
(AI).

“It seems that Marco Rubio continues to lie to his president,” Ñáñez said.
“After leading him into a dead end, he is now handing him an AI video as
‘proof.'”

The minister explained that, according to Google’s Gemini AI, the video
shows signs of being artificially created. Ñáñez strongly condemned the use
of such tactics to justify war narratives: “Enough, Marco Rubio, of
encouraging war and trying to stain President Donald Trump’s hands with
blood.”

The minister detailed why Gemini stated that the video was most likely
created using AI, providing
<https://x.com/venanalysis/status/1962961651088461941> the following
assessment of the elements of the video:

*“**• The video shows a boat being targeted and then exploding in a way
that looks like a simplified, almost cartoon-like animation, rather than a
realistic depiction of an explosion.*
*• The video contains motion artifacts and lack of realistic detail often
seen in AI-generated videos. *
*The water, in particular, looks highly stylized and unnatural. • The
content of the video seems to be composed of different elements, including
the “UNCLASSIFIED” and a watermark from an unknown source. These elements,
combined with the lack of detail, are common in AI-generated content.**“*

(RedRadioVE
<https://albaciudad.org/2025/09/video-trump-rubio-embarcacion-con-drogas-destruida/>)
by Luigino Bracci Roa

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/AU
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