(NewsNation) — The Trump administration is ramping up its fight with cartels and putting more pressure on Venezuela in its war on drugs.

The Pentagon recently launched a strike on an alleged Tren de Aragua boat that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said was involved in "illicit narcotics smuggling" and moving through a "known narco-trafficking route." The strike killed six people on board, according to NewsNation affiliate The Hill.

This now marks the 10th boat strike, and brings the death toll from these strikes to 40.

Now, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's largest aircraft carrier, is headed to the region with a strike group. President Donald Trump has said the efforts so far have saved lives, saying that every boat that has been hit has saved 25,000 Americans.

A U.S. warship, the USS

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