The U.S. military carried out another strike Tuesday on a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men, U.S. officials said. The action came just a day after a separate U.S. strike in the Caribbean Sea killed two people on an alleged drug boat, continuing a pattern of attacks across the region.
U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes, and it posted video on X showing a boat cruising on the water before a large explosion left the vessel in flames. The eastern Pacific strike was part of the same broader effort that has included similar attacks in Latin American waters over the past several months.
The Trump administration has framed the campaign as an aggressive escalation against cartels in Latin America, with President Donald Trump describing the United States as being in “armed conflict” with cartel forces. Trump and his administration have justified the strikes as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and to address fatal overdoses, which the administration has linked to cartel activity.
In the eastern Pacific case, Southern Command again said the military targeted drug-trafficking vessels. The Associated Press reporting did not find that the U.S. government provided evidence showing the ships were carrying drugs, a point that has fueled criticism of the campaign.
The administration’s effort has persisted since early September and, according to the Associated Press, has killed at least 191 people in total. Despite the U.S. focus on the Iran war, the strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, the report said, indicating that the Latin American campaign has continued without easing.
Critics have also questioned both the evidentiary basis and the legal framing of the boat strikes. The Associated Press reported that the military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs, while other critics have raised concerns about the overall legality of blowing up suspected trafficking boats.
The attacks began after the United States built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months before a January operation that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was later brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty, according to the Associated Press report.
MSI previously reported that U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats have continued across the region after earlier eastern Pacific attacks.