The U.S. military has carried out another strike against an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in two deaths, according to Southern Command officials.
The operation, directed by Marine General Francis Donovan, targeted what military officials described as a vessel operated by a U.S.-designated terrorist organization involved in smuggling illicit drugs toward American shores. The specific location of the strike was not disclosed.
Video footage released by Southern Command showed a small fishing-style boat, known as a panga, being struck by aerial munitions, leaving the vessel smoking in the water. Military officials characterized the two deceased individuals as "narco-terrorists" but provided no additional details about their identities or confirmed roles in trafficking operations.
Escalating Operations Under Trump Administration
The strike represents part of a larger enforcement campaign known as Joint Task Force Southern Spear, an ongoing operation spanning the eastern Pacific, Caribbean, and waters off Latin American coastlines. According to an NBC News tally, the Trump administration has authorized 50 such strikes during his second term, resulting in 51 vessels destroyed and approximately 170 deaths.
Military officials have characterized those killed in the operations as combatants and narco-terrorists. The Trump administration has designated major drug cartels as terrorist organizations, arguing that their role in supplying potentially deadly substances—particularly fentanyl—to the United States constitutes hostile acts of war.
Questions Remain Over Legal Authority
The military's characterization of strike victims has faced scrutiny from families of the deceased and some Democratic members of Congress, who have questioned whether the operations comply with legal requirements for due process and public documentation of alleged trafficking connections.
No U.S. military personnel were injured in this operation, Southern Command confirmed.
This article is based on reporting from NBC News.