On Saturday, the U.S. military conducted yet another operation targeting a vessel suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This strike marks the fourth in a series of similar actions this week, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and bringing the overall death toll to 205.
In a statement, the U.S. Southern Command described the boat as being involved in “narco-trafficking operations” and linked it to a designated terrorist organization. However, details supporting these claims were not provided by the military.
This recent strike is part of an extended campaign that has been underway for several months, focusing on boats reportedly engaged in drug trafficking activities across the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. The military’s efforts in this region continue to aim at disrupting these alleged operations.
U.S. Southern Command announced the strike with its usual language that the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence for the allegation.
It’s the latest in a monthslong campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.
Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel floating in the ocean before it’s hit and engulfed in a fireball.
The attack brings the death toll to 205 in a series of U.S. strikes that began in early September, with other attacks announced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Trump administration has declared that the U.S. is at armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, saying they are behind the flow of drugs into American communities.
U.S. Southern Command said in its post on X that the strike came at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S. commander in Latin America.