Washington, Dec 30 (NationPress) The CIA executed a drone strike earlier this month on a dock facility along the Venezuelan coast, representing the first confirmed land strike by the Trump administration within this oil-rich South American nation, as reported by local media outlets.

This strike was aimed at a secluded dock that US officials suspected was utilized by a Venezuelan gang for drug storage and transfer onto vessels for shipment, according to a report from CNN on Monday evening, citing anonymous sources familiar with the mission.

At the time of the strike, the location was unoccupied, and there were no reported fatalities, as per Xinhua news agency's report, referencing CNN.

On the same day, US President Donald Trump stated that the US had eliminated a "dock area" where alleged drug traffickers loaded vessels with narcotics in Venezuela the previous week.

If accurate, this would mark the first known land strike by the Trump administration against Venezuela, as reported by Xinhua.

"There was a significant explosion in the dock area where they loaded boats with drugs," Trump informed reporters in Florida. "So, we struck all the boats, and now we’ve taken out the area -- it’s an implementation zone, and that is no longer in existence."

He did not specify whether the Pentagon or another US agency was responsible for the operation.

The Venezuelan government has yet to issue a response.

Trump initially disclosed the strike during an interview with WABC radio on Friday, stating that his administration had destroyed "a large facility" purportedly involved in the production of illicit drugs in Venezuela.

"We just took out -- I don’t know if you’ve seen -- they have a significant plant or facility from which the ships depart. Two nights ago, we eliminated that, so we hit them very hard," Trump mentioned during the phone interview.

For several months, the United States has been intensifying its military presence in Caribbean waters near Venezuela as part of what the White House has termed an anti-narco-terrorism initiative. They have reportedly sunk about 30 alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, resulting in over 100 deaths.

Venezuela has consistently accused Washington of attempting to instigate regime change and military expansion in Latin America.

On Friday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed an openness to dialogue with the United States based on mutual respect, provided that the US refrains from interfering in Venezuelan affairs.