The U.S. military conducted a strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat that killed two people, U.S. Southern Command said on social media.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” a post on X said. “Two narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.” Southern Command did not specify where the boat was coming from or where it was going.
It is the second known attack of the year after another in January that also killed two people. The U.S. has conducted dozens of strikes since September, but the pace has slowed down since the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who is being held in a New York jail on charges of narco-terrorism and other drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that top cartel drug traffickers have “decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean. This is deterrence through strength.” The administration has said the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and the strikes are necessary to combat the flow of drugs into the country.
The military strikes represent an escalation in U.S. drug interdiction operations, moving from traditional law enforcement seizures to direct military action against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. The policy shift raises questions about rules of engagement, due process, and whether lethal force against suspected traffickers without arrest or trial sets a dangerous precedent.
