The United States carried out another attack on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people aboard, the Pentagon confirmed Sunday.
The U.S. Southern Command said intelligence indicated the boat was engaged in illicit narcotics smuggling along a known trafficking route and was carrying illegal drugs. The strike, carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, occurred in international waters.
This marks the 21st U.S. military strike on suspected drug boats since early September, an effort Washington describes as aimed at disrupting the flow of narcotics into the United States. Pentagon figures indicate the operations have killed more than 80 people so far.
The strikes have drawn scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, human rights groups, and international allies over concerns about their legality. The Trump administration has maintained that the attacks are legally justified, citing a Justice Department opinion that protects U.S. military personnel from prosecution for these operations.
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. State Department will designate the alleged drug organization Cartel de los Soles as a “foreign terrorist organization.” This designation makes it a crime in the United States to provide material support to the group. U.S. officials allege that Cartel de los Soles works with the criminal organization Tren de Aragua to traffic narcotics into the U.S.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading Cartel de los Soles, an allegation Maduro denies. The Pentagon has deployed warships, fighter jets, and a nuclear submarine to the Caribbean amid ongoing discussions of potential military action against the Maduro government.
