A “lethal kinetic strike” on an alleged drug trafficking boat killed two passengers and left one survivor Monday in the Eastern Pacific, according to U.S. Southern Command.
The U.S. Coast Guard was activated to search for and rescue the survivor. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” U.S. Southern Command wrote on social media platform X.
The strike was conducted as part of Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War’s campaign to combat drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. Another aspect of the campaign involves seizing oil tankers that defy quarantine orders. On Monday, the Department of War announced U.S. military forces also “tracked and hunted” a vessel overnight after it defied a quarantine order on sanctioned ships from the Trump administration.
At least seven sanctioned oil tankers were taken by U.S. forces since December as part of Operation Southern Spear. “When the Department of War says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland, even in oceans halfway around the world,” they wrote in a post on X. The Department of War released footage of U.S. troops boarding the vessel, located in the Indian Ocean.
The military strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels represent an escalation in U.S. interdiction operations, moving from traditional law enforcement seizures to lethal force against boats suspected of narcotics transport. The policy raises questions about rules of engagement and whether the use of deadly force without arrest or trial sets a concerning precedent.
