The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it struck three additional boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling operations, killing three people and forcing others to jump overboard, where they may have survived. The latest action marks another escalation in a controversial campaign launched by the Trump administration to combat narcotics trafficking routes linked to Latin America.
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees American military operations in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, said the attacks took place on Tuesday. However, the military did not disclose the precise location of the strikes. Previous incidents under the same campaign have occurred in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, regions long associated with maritime drug trafficking routes.
According to SOUTHCOM, the three boats were traveling together in what the military described as a “convoy” along known narco-trafficking corridors. A video posted by Southern Command on social media shows the vessels moving in close formation, a pattern the military said is unusual for civilian maritime traffic. The statement claimed the boats had transferred narcotics between them shortly before the strikes, though no evidence was publicly released to support this assertion.
The military said the first boat was struck directly, killing three people on board. Individuals aboard the other two vessels reportedly jumped into the water and moved away from their boats before those vessels were attacked. SOUTHCOM said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate search and rescue operations in the area, but did not clarify whether those who entered the water were later rescued.
The decision to involve the Coast Guard has drawn attention because of intense scrutiny surrounding an earlier incident in September. In that case, U.S. forces carried out a follow-up strike on a disabled boat after an initial attack, killing survivors who were still on board. That incident sparked sharp criticism from some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts, who argued the follow-up strike may have violated international law. The Trump administration, supported by several Republican lawmakers, has defended the action as lawful, insisting the vessels were legitimate military targets.
With the latest strikes, the number of known boat attacks has risen to 33 since early September, with at least 110 people killed, according to figures released by the Trump administration. The campaign represents a significant shift in U.S. counter-narcotics policy, relying on direct military force rather than traditional law enforcement and interdiction efforts.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended the strikes, framing them as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. He has argued that the country is engaged in an “armed conflict” with powerful drug cartels, a designation that his administration says justifies the use of military force against suspected traffickers.
Beyond the maritime strikes, the Trump administration has increased the U.S. military presence in the region as part of a broader pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has been charged in the United States with narco-terrorism, allegations his government strongly denies. Washington has accused senior figures in Caracas of collaborating with drug cartels to traffic cocaine northward.
Adding to the escalation, the CIA was behind a drone strike last week targeting a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is classified. The strike marked the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil since the maritime campaign began in September.
