The U.S. military said it conducted another strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing two people. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the U.S. Southern Command announced the strike, which is part of an ongoing campaign targeting vessels accused of trafficking drugs in Latin American waters.
The campaign of attacks has persisted for over seven months, continuing even as the military remains engaged in the Iran war, according to the AP. The military often announces these strikes on social media.
The AP reports that, with Monday’s attack, the death toll has reached at least 170 since the effort began in early September. The campaign started months before the U.S. raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Southern Command stated that it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes, according to the AP. The military did not provide specific evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs but posted a video on X showing a blast hitting a small boat.
President Donald Trump has characterized the U.S. as being in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has defended the attacks as a necessary measure to stop drugs from entering the United States and reduce fatal overdoses, the AP reports. According to the AP, the Trump administration has provided little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
Trump appeared to reference the boat strikes tactic on his Truth Social platform on Monday while issuing new threats against Tehran. He wrote, “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” according to the AP.