The U.S. military has carried out multiple new strikes on vessels it says were involved in drug trafficking, killing eight people in operations that took place in international waters and were announced this week. The deaths bring the total in the ongoing campaign against suspected drug smugglers at sea to at least 115 since September 2025, according to U.S. Southern Command.
U.S. forces targeted three “narco-trafficking” vessels traveling as a convoy, striking the first boat and killing three individuals, officials said. Those aboard two other boats reportedly abandoned ship and jumped into the ocean before the remaining vessels were sunk in follow-on engagements, though it’s unclear how many of those people survived.
Later statements by the military said a separate strike on two additional vessels killed five more people, but again offered few details about the precise locations of the attacks beyond they were in “international waters.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified and is coordinating search-and-rescue efforts for those who entered the water after the strikes. A Coast Guard aircraft was dispatched to assist in locating any survivors.
Officials have framed these operations, conducted under Operation Southern Spear, as part of a broader effort to disrupt narcotics trafficking and target groups designated by Washington as “narco-terrorists.” The U.S. administration has characterized the campaign as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, though critics including legal experts and lawmakers have raised concerns about the lack of public evidence tying the targeted boats to drug smuggling and the legality of using military force in this manner.
The strikes have taken place across both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The U.S. military has carried out more than 30 such attacks since September 2025, reflecting a significant escalation of direct action against maritime drug trafficking routes.
