Patel vows to 'hunt down' Venezuelan drug traffickers as admin ramps up boat strikes

FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday vowed that his agency would work to "hunt down" drug traffickers operating in the Caribbean to ship cocaine to the United States via maritime routes.

The traffickers, he said, are "using the navigable waterways in the Caribbean to the end-state delivery, which is the United States of America," he confirmed during testimony to Congress. "We will hunt down every single one of those narco-traffickers with the authority we have."

Patel's remarks come as the Trump administration targeted a second suspected drug boat near Venezuela, doubling down on military strikes to target such vessels. That practice has attracted scrutiny from due process advocates, such as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., though the administration has indicated it will press forward.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a cartel leader. Washington has further deployed warships near Venezuelan waters to pressure Caracas on the drugs issue.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.