Five people have been killed in a US strike on a suspected drug boat in the eastern Pacific, the US Southern Command said. The operation was carried out on October 27 by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere.
The military said the vessel was on an established drug trafficking route. In a statement, the Southern Command said: “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was actively involved in drug trafficking.“ The dead were identified as “narco-terrorists“.
A video released by the US military shows a small vessel in the water engulfed by an explosion.
According to the Associated Press, the latest strike brings the death toll in US attacks on vessels to at least 240 in more than 70 operations. USNI News puts the number at 243.
The campaign began in September 2025. President Donald Trump's administration says the actions are aimed at groups that transport drugs to the United States. Trump has said the country is in “armed conflict“ with Latin American cartels.
Disputes over the legality of the operations
The strikes have drawn criticism from human rights groups, lawyers and US lawmakers. They question whether suspected drug traffickers can be targeted without detention or trial, especially when there is no public information about an imminent threat.
The Pentagon plans to review whether the lethal operations followed established procedures for selecting, preparing and executing strikes. However, the review will not examine the legality of the attacks themselves.
US authorities have not released further details about the identities of the dead, the amount of suspected drugs or the type of weapon used.
Sources: apnews.com, theguardian.com, news.usni.org