The U.S. military executed a deadly operation on Thursday, targeting a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. This strike, which resulted in the deaths of three men labeled as “narco-terrorists,” was confirmed by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
“On June 18, under the orders of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” stated SOUTHCOM in an official release.
The statement further detailed that intelligence had verified the vessel’s movement along established drug-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and its involvement in drug-trafficking activities.
The military confirmed that three individuals, identified as “narco-terrorists,” were killed in the operation. However, SOUTHCOM did not provide information on any potential survivors.
A captured image shows a suspected drug-trafficking vessel engulfed in flames following the U.S. military’s strike in the Eastern Pacific on June 18, 2026. (U.S. Southern Command)
No U.S. military personnel were harmed, the command said.
SOUTHCOM also released a brief video showing a vessel speeding through the water before erupting in flames. Additional footage appeared to show debris floating in the aftermath of the strike.
SOUTHCOM did not identify the location of the operation beyond saying it occurred along known narcotics-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.
U.S. Southern Command said a strike conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear targeted a vessel linked to narcotics-trafficking operations. (U.S. Southern Command)
The strike was the latest in a months-long campaign launched by the Trump administration aimed at dismantling cartel-linked trafficking networks.
According to The Associated Press, the latest operation brings the number of people killed in U.S. military strikes targeting vessels since September to at least 211.
The action comes after SOUTHCOM said Tuesday that it carried out a strike in the Eastern Pacific that killed one person it described as a “narco-terrorist.” Two other individuals survived that attack, the military said.
Debris floats in the Eastern Pacific following a U.S. military strike that officials said killed three alleged narco-terrorists. (U.S. Southern Command)
Last week, President Donald Trump announced that SOUTHCOM had “delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike” that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua.
The U.S. Department of State had previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the 42-year-old Venezuelan’s arrest or conviction.
While the military has released videos and statements describing the targeted vessels as linked to designated terrorist organizations, it has generally not publicly released evidence identifying those killed or demonstrating that the vessels were carrying narcotics.
A vessel identified by U.S. Southern Command as operating along known narcotics-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific on June 18, 2026. (U.S. Southern Command)
The campaign has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, legal experts and human rights groups who have questioned the legal basis for using lethal military force against suspected traffickers outside a traditional battlefield.
The Eastern Pacific remains a key corridor for narcotics trafficking, with criminal organizations frequently using small vessels to move drugs toward North America.
SOUTHCOM has played a central role in the Trump administration’s expanded campaign against cartel-linked trafficking networks and transnational criminal organizations.
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