US Strikes Suspected Drug Boats, 11 Killed in Pacific and Caribbean

The United States military carried out strikes on three vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, killing 11 people, according to US Southern Command. The operation marks the latest escalation in Washington’s expanding maritime campaign against narcotics trafficking networks in the Western Hemisphere.

Officials said the strikes took place Monday along known drug-smuggling routes used to transport narcotics toward North America. Intelligence assessments indicated the boats were engaged in trafficking operations, prompting lethal action.

US Southern Command stated that all individuals killed were suspected traffickers and confirmed that no American personnel were injured during the operation. The strikes were conducted under the direction of Marine Corps General Francis Donovan as part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear operations.

According to military statements, four individuals were killed on the first vessel in the eastern Pacific, four on a second Pacific vessel and three on a third boat in the Caribbean Sea.

Part of expanding anti-drug campaign

The latest action forms part of a broader US military campaign launched in 2025 targeting maritime drug trafficking routes across Latin American waters. Since the campaign began, dozens of vessels have been destroyed and more than 130 suspected traffickers have been killed in operations across the Pacific and Caribbean corridors.

Washington says the operations aim to disrupt supply chains used by transnational criminal networks that transport cocaine and other narcotics toward the United States.

Historically, maritime counter-narcotics efforts were led primarily by the US Coast Guard and law enforcement agencies, focusing on interdiction and arrests. The current campaign represents a shift toward the use of military force against vessels suspected of trafficking.

Strategic focus on trafficking corridors

US officials have long identified waters near Venezuela and key Caribbean routes as major corridors for drug trafficking. Intelligence-driven operations target vessels travelling along these routes, which are often used by organised crime networks to transport drugs northward.

The campaign has intensified amid strained relations between Washington and Caracas and broader efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organisations.

Controversy and legal concerns

While US authorities describe those targeted as “narco-terrorists,” critics and legal experts have raised concerns about the legality of lethal strikes against suspected traffickers without arrest or trial.

Human rights groups argue that such operations may bypass due process, while US officials maintain the actions are lawful and necessary to protect national security and disrupt organised crime networks.

Ongoing operations

The strikes underscore the United States’ evolving strategy in combating maritime narcotics trafficking and organised crime in the region. Analysts say the campaign is intended to deter trafficking networks and demonstrate US willingness to use force to disrupt supply chains.

Authorities indicated that counter-narcotics operations will continue as intelligence monitoring and maritime patrols remain active across key trafficking routes.