The US military launched a lethal strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel, leaving three dead.
The strike, carried out Friday under the authority of US Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Spear, targeted what was described as a suspected narco-terrorist’s boat in the Caribbean.
‘Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,’ US Southern Command confirmed the deadly encounter in a statement.
Operation Southern Spear has killed at least 124 people in strikes on suspected drug boats, according to CNN. The controversial military campaign is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking across maritime routes.
Friday’s strike marks the fourth reported attack this year.
The press release did not identify the exact location of the kinetic strike, but most recently, a separate strike took place on Monday in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people and leaving a single survivor.
The operation earlier this week also described the ship as traveling along ‘known narco-trafficking routes.’
The military added that ‘two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike,’ and said US forces moved quickly to initiate rescue efforts for the lone survivor.
US Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out the Friday operation, striking a suspected narco-terrorist’s boat at an undisclosed location
Officials said the vessel was traveling along ‘known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations’
‘Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor,’ the command said.
In the immediate aftermath of the strike, rescue crews rushed to locate and recover the survivor, sparking a multinational search across the vast waters of the eastern Pacific.
The boat attacks, which began in September 2025, have slowed in frequency since January, a month that saw just one strike following the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. By comparison, the Pentagon targeted more than a dozen vessels in December 2025.
Critics have questioned whether enough evidence exists to conclusively link those targeted to drug trafficking operations, and whether the use of lethal military force in such circumstances is justified. The legality of the strikes has also been challenged by military lawyers and legal experts.
Multiple current and former military attorneys said the operations ‘do not appear lawful,’ raising concerns about the precedent of using military force against suspected smugglers outside traditional war zones.
Operation Southern Spear has killed at least 124 people in strikes on suspected drug boats, according to CNN
The controversial military campaign aimed at disrupting drug trafficking across maritime routes
Meanwhile, the families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in an October boat strike under the Trump administration sued the federal government earlier this month, calling the attack a war crime and part of an ‘unprecedented and manifestly unlawful US military campaign.’
The lawsuit is believed to be the first wrongful death case linked to the campaign and is expected to test the legal justification for the attacks, which many experts argue violate the laws of armed conflict.
President Donald Trump has said the US is in ‘armed conflict’ with cartels in Latin America and has defended the strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs.
However, his administration has provided little evidence to support its claims of killing ‘narcoterrorists.’
