United States strikes suspected drug boat in Caribbean, three killed

The United States military carried out another strike on a vessel it said was involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean, killing three people. The operation, part of a broader campaign overseen by the administration of former President Donald Trump, has seen at least 38 similar strikes since September, resulting in a reported death toll of at least 133. While US officials say the actions target narcotics operations, critics have raised concerns over the lack of evidence and the legality of the strikes in international waters.

The United States military announced on Friday that it had carried out another strike on a vessel it said was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking activities in the Caribbean region, an operation that reportedly resulted in the deaths of three people. According to the military, the action forms part of ongoing efforts aimed at disrupting illegal narcotics movements across maritime routes commonly used by criminal networks.
In a statement shared publicly, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) posted an 11-second video clip on the social media platform X. The footage appeared to show a small boat moving through open waters before it was struck by what the military described as “a lethal kinetic strike,” after which the vessel exploded. SOUTHCOM said the video illustrated the moment the strike was executed.
The command further stated that the vessel had been travelling along routes in the Caribbean that are widely known to be used for narcotics trafficking. According to the statement, the boat was allegedly engaged in active narco-trafficking operations at the time it was targeted. However, US authorities did not present any independent evidence or detailed intelligence to publicly substantiate these claims.
Since early September, the administration of former US President Donald Trump has overseen at least 38 strikes on boats accused of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. These operations have been described by US officials as part of a broader strategy to combat international drug smuggling and weaken transnational criminal organizations operating across Latin America and surrounding waters.
Trump has defended the series of attacks, characterizing them as a necessary escalation in response to what he described as an “armed conflict” between the United States and powerful drug cartels in the region. He has argued that such measures are required to protect US national security and curb the flow of illegal drugs.
Friday’s reported strike brings the total number of deaths resulting from these maritime operations to at least 133, based on official figures released by US authorities. Despite this, the US government has provided limited public evidence to support its assertions that those killed were “narcoterrorists” or active members of organized drug trafficking groups.
Human rights advocates and legal experts have raised concerns about the legality of the strikes, particularly because many of them have taken place in international waters. Critics argue that the operations may violate international law and set a troubling precedent for the use of lethal force beyond national jurisdictions.
Adding to the controversy, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed last week that several high-ranking drug traffickers in the region had decided to halt all narcotics operations indefinitely as a result of what he described as highly effective kinetic strikes in the Caribbean. Hegseth made the remarks on his personal social media account but did not provide any additional details or evidence to support the assertion.