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American military have fatally struck four people in an strike on a vessel off the coast of Venezuela that was allegedly carrying illegal substances, according to Defense Secretary declarations.

"The military action was executed in open seas just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was moving substantial amounts of illegal substances - en route to America to endanger our population," military representatives stated in a public statement.

This constitutes the newest in a sequence of fatal military operations that the US has conducted on vessels in international waters it asserts are participating in "drug smuggling".

The operations have drawn criticism in countries such as Venezuela and Colombia, with several jurisprudence specialists labeling the operations as a breach of global legal standards.

Action Particulars

Military officials stated the strike occurred in the US naval force's operational zone, which includes the majority of South America and the Caribbean.

"Gathered information, certainly, confirmed that this ship was transporting drugs, the individuals on the vessel were narcotics criminals, and they were operating on a recognized drug smuggling transportation path," authorities announced about this latest attack.

"Military actions will proceed until the threats on the American people are eliminated!!!!"

US President also verified the military action on digital platforms, saying that the boat was carrying adequate drugs "to cause death to 25 to 50 thousand individuals".

Controversial Aspects

Nevertheless, the US has not provided evidence for its allegations or any information about the identities of those present on the ship.

There was no immediate response from Venezuela but its head of state has previously condemned the strikes and stated his country will guard against in response to US "military intervention".

This latest fatal attack is the fourth by the US in a recent timeframe.

Previously, military leaders had announced that eleven persons had been fatally struck in a operation against a illegal substances-bearing ship in the tropical waters at the commencement of September.

Afterward in the timeframe, two separate strikes days apart killed a combined six individuals.

Jurisdictional Context

This Thursday, a confidential communication sent to Congress – reported by media outlets – said the US federal authorities had now decided it was in a "non-international armed conflict" with narcotics organizations.

This is significant because the administration is mandated by legislation to inform Congress if it will employ the defense establishment, which implies it plans to use further combat operations.

The US has positioned its attacks on suspected drug boats as national security measures, despite many jurisprudence authorities disputing their lawfulness.

Presenting this as an current warfare situation is presumably a method to defend using more extreme military authorities – for example killing "enemy fighters" even if they have not posed a immediate danger, or detaining people indefinitely.

These constitute similar privileges to those implemented regarding other organizations in past conflicts.

Federal authorities have failed to supply the justification for why they give the impression of categorizing narcotics smuggling and connected illegal activities as an "combat situation", or specified which cartels they consider are threatening the US.

Authorities have earlier designated many cartels, such as those in Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela, as terrorist organisations – giving US agencies increased capabilities in their handling of them.