US Strikes on Drug-Smuggling Boats Kill Five, Spark Regional Tensions

US strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific killed five people. The Trump administration calls them "narco-terrorists," but UN experts and legal groups criticize the actions as extrajudicial. The strikes have heightened tensions with Venezuela and Colombia.

Two recent US strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific have resulted in a total of five fatalities, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He stated that both boats were "known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling," were traveling along "a known narco-trafficking route," and were "carrying narcotics." Hegseth emphasized that the operations took place in international waters.

In the latest strike, announced late Wednesday, three individuals were killed, while two others died in a previous attack, which occurred on Tuesday. Hegseth referred to those killed as "narco-terrorists." Footage released from the strikes shows speedboats moving rapidly across the water before being struck by projectiles and engulfed in flames. In one video, large packages can be seen floating on the water following the attack.

The Trump administration began deploying stealth warplanes and Navy ships in September as part of its efforts to combat drug trafficking to the United States. These two strikes in the eastern Pacific, which covers the west coast of the Americas, mark a shift from previous operations, which primarily targeted vessels in the Caribbean, east of Central America. While most cocaine enters the US overland from Mexico, it usually originates in Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, and travels via the Eastern Pacific rather than the Caribbean.

Since September, at least 37 people have been killed in nine US strikes on boats the administration claims were transporting drugs. The summary killings have drawn widespread criticism from legal experts and rights organizations, who argue that such actions are unlawful even when directed at confirmed narcotics traffickers. On Tuesday, UN experts stated that "the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis violates the international law of the sea," describing the operations as "extrajudicial executions," according to a statement from the UN’s human rights office, OHCHR.

The Trump administration maintains that the strikes are lawful, categorizing Latin American drug cartels as unlawful combatants and terrorist organizations that may be targeted with military force. However, the operations have heightened tensions in the region, particularly in Venezuela, where the US military buildup has stoked fears that the ultimate goal may be the removal of President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington accuses of leading a drug cartel.

The US has significantly expanded its Caribbean presence, deploying approximately 10,000 troops along with dozens of military aircraft and warships. Last week, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. At the same time, tensions between Trump and Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro have intensified over the US anti-drug campaign. Trump recently vowed to end all aid to Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, and publicly accused Petro of being an "illegal drug dealer," prompting Colombia to recall its ambassador to the United States on Monday.