The United States says it has destroyed three boats linked to drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, killing several people during what it described as a targeted operation in international waters.
United States Southern Command said the strike took place on December 30 after intelligence agencies determined the vessels were moving along established narco-trafficking routes and had exchanged narcotics while travelling in convoy.
According to the Pentagon, three people aboard the first boat were killed, while occupants of the remaining two vessels reportedly jumped overboard before those boats were sunk.
The US Coast Guard was alerted to carry out search and rescue efforts, though the fate of those left at sea is unknown.
The strike forms part of ‘Operation Southern Spear’, an intensified anti-drug campaign under Donald Trump that has drawn strong condemnation from Nicolas Maduro’s government, which accuses Washington of using counter-narcotics operations as a cover for regime change.
On Dec. 30, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence… pic.twitter.com/NHRNIzcrFS
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 31, 2025
