President Donald Trump said this week that the United States had struck a boat in the Caribbean that he claimed belonged to Tren de Aragua , a notorious organised crime gang, and was smuggling drugs to the US.

The Trump administration has long claimed that cocaine shipments from Venezuela are fuelling a drug overdose problem that plagues the US.

Here is what is happening between the US and Venezuela, and what facts on the ground tell us:

What action is the US taking against Venezuelan drug cartels?

The US attack on the Venezuelan boat on Tuesday came just a few days after news reports circulated about US warships advancing into Venezuelan waters.

Last month, The New York Times reported that Trump had signed a secret directive instructing the Pentagon to use military force agains

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