A U.S. Southern Command strike on a narco-trafficking boat linked to designated terrorist organizations left two operators dead and one survivor rescued, according to U.S. officials.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. military forces destroyed another suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, killing two individuals identified by U.S. officials as narco-terrorists and leaving one survivor, according to U.S. Southern Command.
In a public statement, U.S. Southern Command said the strike was conducted on Feb. 9 under the direction of its commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, as part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear operations. The command said the vessel was operated by organizations designated as terrorist groups and was actively engaged in narcotics trafficking along established smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” Southern Command said, adding that two individuals were killed and one survived the strike.
Following the engagement, the command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search-and-rescue procedures for the surviving individual.
The operation is part of a broader campaign known as Operation Southern Spear. U.S. officials say more than 30 drug-smuggling vessels have been destroyed since late 2025, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 narco-terrorists as the Trump administration increases pressure on drug trafficking networks and the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.
Administration officials have linked the maritime strikes to a broader strategy treating fentanyl trafficking as a national security threat. President Donald Trump previously signed an executive order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, following an earlier internal memo classifying the drug as a chemical weapon to justify expanded interdiction efforts.
U.S. officials have also reported that the Coast Guard has seized at least two sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers during related enforcement actions.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the strikes have begun to alter cartel behavior, claiming that some major traffickers have halted operations in response to the campaign. “This is deterrence through strength,” Hegseth said.
In a public statement posted to X, Hegseth wrote that “some top cartel drug-traffickers in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility have decided to cease all narcotics operations indefinitely due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean,” adding that President Trump “is saving American lives.”
The latest strike comes amid criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who have questioned the administration’s use of lethal force against drug-smuggling vessels and its broader escalation of military-style operations in counter-narcotics enforcement. U.S. officials maintain the actions are lawful, targeted, and intended to disrupt trafficking networks responsible for fentanyl and other narcotics entering the United States.
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