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Six men have died following a US military strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing the death toll in the Trump administration’s controversial anti-trafficking campaign to at least 157 people. The Sunday attack is part of a broader effort targeting what the administration calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels, which began in early September.
US Southern Command stated that, consistent with over 40 known strikes in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, the operation targeted alleged drug traffickers along established smuggling routes. However, the military provided no evidence to substantiate that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a small boat being blown up as it floated on the water.
President Donald Trump has declared the US to be in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America, justifying these attacks as a “necessary escalation” to stem the flow of drugs into the US. Despite these assertions, his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Konstantin Toropin) (AP)
In a meeting with Latin American leaders on Saturday, Trump encouraged them to join the U.S. in taking military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the region’s national security.
To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this past week against organized crime groups in the South American country.
With Saturday’s gathering, Trump aimed to demonstrate that he remains committed to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere, even while waging a war on Iran that has had repercussions across the Middle East.
Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.
The boat strikes also drew intense criticism following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the killings were murder, if not a war crime.
