Sebastian Gorka defended the Trump administration’s decision to sink a boat carrying suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers, telling Newsmax on Thursday that the U.S. has the right and duty to treat cartels as terrorist organizations.

U.S. forces on Tuesday sank a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, marking one of the most aggressive actions yet in President Donald Trump’s stepped-up war on drugs. Defense officials said the boat was intercepted after intelligence indicated it was carrying drugs bound for the U.S.

Gorka, deputy assistant to Trump and senior director for counterterrorism, told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” the move was necessary given the devastation caused by dangerous drugs entering the U.S. under the Biden administration.

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