A U.S. Navy team from the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat on Friday during counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, Venezuela’s government said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the boarding took place within Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone. It said 18 armed U.S. personnel occupied the vessel for eight hours before the crew was released under Venezuelan Navy escort.
A short video, said to be filmed by one of the fishermen in the boat shows a U.S. Navy inflatable boat closing in on their vessel.
Video of the Venezuelan fishing boat being boarded by forces from the USS Jason Dunham destroyer in international waters on Friday#Venezuela pic.twitter.com/nPsZdM5q6l
— CNW (@ConflictsW) September 13, 2025
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil condemned the action as “illegal” and “hostile,” alleging that U.S. forces disrupted communication and normal fishing activities. He described it as a “provocation” aimed at escalating military tensions in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official told ABC News that Coast Guard personnel aboard the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded the vessel following a narcotics tip, but no contraband was discovered.
The White House has not commented on the incident.
The USS Jason Dunham is one of several U.S. warships deployed to the region under a broader counter-narcotics mission launched by President Donald Trump in August.
Earlier this month, Trump claimed U.S. forces destroyed a drug-laden boat carrying Tren de Aragua gang members, killing 11 people. Venezuelan authorities dispute this account, calling it a fabrication and linking it to missing civilians with no cartel ties.
