The U.S. Southern Command reported that a military strike in the Eastern Pacific targeted a vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking, resulting in the death of one individual, Baltimore Chronicle via ABC. The vessel, according to SOUTHCOM, “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” when the operation occurred.
The strike, carried out under the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, involved the Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducting a “lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” according to the statement. Intelligence reportedly confirmed that the vessel was actively engaged in narcotics trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific. One male individual described as a “narco-terrorist” was confirmed killed during the strike.
Monday’s operation brings the cumulative death toll from U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean to at least 105 individuals since early September. These actions are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to interdict illegal narcotics trafficking along established maritime routes in the region.
The statement did not provide additional details about the vessel’s origin, its crew, or the specific type of strike employed, but emphasized that these operations target low-profile vessels utilized by terrorist-designated organizations engaged in narco-trafficking.
SOUTHCOM has underscored that these maritime strikes are coordinated with intelligence assessments to disrupt the operations of organizations responsible for significant drug distribution in the Americas, aiming to limit the flow of narcotics and associated criminal activity.
Earlier we wrote that US Deputy AG denies efforts to redact Trump’s name from Epstein investigation files.
