U.S. Southern Command said late Monday that it carried out a strike in the Eastern Pacific under orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, targeting a vessel allegedly linked to drug trafficking and designated terrorist groups.
According to the statement, Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched a lethal operation against a low-profile boat operating in international waters. U.S. intelligence assessed that the vessel was travelling along established narcotics trafficking routes and was actively involved in drug smuggling activities.
Southern Command said one man it described as a ‘narco-terrorist’ was killed in the strike.
The latest operation brings the total number of deaths from U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean to at least 105 since the campaign began in early September.