The U.S. military says it struck a vessel that was allegedly carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific on Monday, killing one person — part of a months-long campaign of boat strikes near Latin America.
The military has hit at least 29 alleged drug vessels since early September, killing 105 people. President Trump has argued that boat strikes have been effective at quelling drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, but critics have questioned the president’s legal authority to carry out the strikes.
Monday’s strike targeted a vessel in international waters that was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes,” the U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X. The military said the boat was operated by a designated terrorist organization — it did not specify the organization, but the Trump administration has categorized several Latin American drug cartels as terror groups.
The military called the target of Monday’s operation a “low-profile vessel.” Narcotics trafficking groups have long been accused of using submarines and semi-submersible “low-profile” boats to transport drugs in certain cases. In October, Mr. Trump announced a strike against an alleged drug-trafficking submarine in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors who were repatriated to their home countries.
The military began conducting boat strikes on Sept. 2, part of a broader military buildup and counter-narcotics campaign near Latin America. The administration has justified the strikes by arguing the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with cartels.
The strikes have drawn pushback from congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans who argue the operations haven’t been authorized by Congress and the administration hasn’t provided sufficient evidence that the vessels were carrying drugs. The Colombian and Venezuelan governments have also criticized the strikes.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has put increasing pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of collaborating with drug cartels.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly floated land strikes on alleged drug traffickers in Venezuela and other countries. The president has also said he is instituting a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil vessels entering or exiting Venezuela, impacting a key economic sector for the South American country. U.S. authorities have seized two oil tankers that docked in Venezuela this month and was pursuing a third tanker near Venezuela as of Monday afternoon.
Maduro’s government has denied that it works with drug cartels and accused the Trump administration of seeking regime change. The president has not said what his intentions are for Venezuela — he told reporters Monday it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power, but it’s “up to him what he wants to do.”
Mr. Trump also said: “If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
