The United States has struck a vessel suspected of being used by drug traffickers in the Eastern Pacific, the US Southern Command announced.
“Intelligence has confirmed that the vessel was sailing on known drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific and was being used for drug trafficking“, the command said in a post on its X page.
The strike killed two people, but no US service members were injured.
This year, the US has stepped up its use of airstrikes against small vessels suspected of transporting drugs in international waters. These operations are part of a broader strategy to counter transnational organized crime in the Caribbean and Pacific. This campaign, part of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Operation Southern Spear, began in September 2025.
The U.S. military justifies the use of force with an "imminent threat" or the refusal of vessels to stop for inspection in areas with intense trafficking in prohibited substances. The targets are usually small, fast boats (go-fast boats), which are often unmarked and are trying to evade the coast guard.
There have been more than 48 attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
With the latest attacks, the total death toll has reached 181 people.
US authorities claim that the campaign has led to a reduction in drug trafficking by water by about 20-25%.
These actions have been criticized by legal experts and international organizations, who define the strikes as extrajudicial executions, since they are carried out without a trial in peacetime.