The U.S. military said Sunday that it carried out a deadly strike against another vessel in the Caribbean suspected of transporting narcotics, killing four people aboard.
U.S. Southern Command said the boat was moving through what it called “established narco-trafficking routes” in the Caribbean. Video released by the military appeared to show an explosion ripping apart a speeding boat identified as a go-fast vessel.
“Under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal, kinetic strike on a go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean,” the military said.
The U.S. military said four people were killed in a deadly Caribbean strike against a vessel it accused of involvement in drug trafficking. (U.S. Southern Command)
Southern Command said intelligence indicated that the vessel was actively involved in narcotics trafficking, but the military did not release evidence supporting the claim.
The statement characterized those killed as “four narco-terrorists.”
The strike is the latest operation undertaken by the Trump administration against people it describes as narco-terrorists. More than 235 people have reportedly died in similar attacks conducted since September 2025.
According to U.S. Southern Command, the vessel was traveling through “established narco-trafficking routes” in the Caribbean. (U.S. Southern Command)
Since the strikes began last year, the Pentagon has declined to identify those killed or provide proof that drugs were found aboard the targeted vessels.
The policy has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has questioned the legality of killing people without due process and warned that innocent civilians could be among the victims.
Human rights organizations have also condemned the attacks, describing them as “extrajudicial killings.”
Footage released by the military appeared to capture an explosion destroying a moving boat described by officials as a go-fast vessel. (U.S. Southern Command)
At the same time, the administration is working with partner governments to expand military operations against criminal groups onto land in several Latin American countries. During an August visit to Panama, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to permit joint U.S. operations on their territory. Guatemala, however, denied that it had reached such an agreement.
Ecuador began conducting comparable operations with the United States in March.