WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. military conducted another lethal strike on a vessel purportedly involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This operation was carried out by U.S. Southern Command, which stated on social media that the boat "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations." The strike resulted in the deaths of two individuals. A shared video depicts the vessel before it detonates and bursts into flames.
This military action was announced shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that certain prominent cartel drug traffickers within the region "have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY" due to recent perceived effective strikes in the Caribbean. However, Hegseth did not provide any substantiating data for this assertion, which he shared on his personal social media account. Additionally, U.S. Southern Command and the Pentagon did not respond to follow-up inquiries regarding Hegseth’s statements.
The pattern of boat attacks, which commenced in September 2025, has seen a decrease in frequency since January 2026. That month recorded only a single strike, following a major operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In contrast, December 2025 witnessed over a dozen attacks on vessels. The most recent strike on Thursday brings the total death toll from the Trump administration's engagements against alleged drug-traffickers to 128 people. Prior estimates indicated 126 fatalities, including 116 individuals killed immediately in at least 36 attacks since early September across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Southern Command. An additional ten are presumed dead after not being located by search teams following the strikes.
In a related legal development, the families of two Trinidadian nationals who died in an October strike have filed a lawsuit against the federal government. They are labeling the attack as a war crime, describing it as part of an "unprecedented and manifestly unlawful U.S. military campaign." This case is projected to be the inaugural wrongful death lawsuit arising from the campaign, which could examine the legal justifications behind the military actions, as many experts categorize them as a violation of the laws of armed conflict.
President Donald Trump has characterized the U.S. involvement as being in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels operating in Latin America. He has provided justification for the attacks, arguing that they are essential to curtailing the influx of illegal drugs. Despite these claims, the Trump administration has offered scant evidence to back assertions regarding the elimination of "narcoterrorists."
