Sensor chasing a go fast boat in the carrib / Envato AI Generated image
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The United States carried out another lethal military strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing four suspected narco-terrorists, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced.
“Earlier today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth said in a post on X. He added that the boat, which was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, was “carrying narcotics” and “linked to international drug smuggling networks.”
A video released by Hegseth showed a small motorized craft destroyed in a single precision strike. All four men aboard were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed, and the strike occurred in international waters.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth stated. “The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans. The Department of War will continue to hunt them down and eliminate them wherever they operate.”
Wednesday’s strike marks the 14th U.S. attack on suspected narco-trafficking vessels since September, as part of the Trump administration’s expanded campaign to dismantle maritime drug networks in the Pacific and Caribbean. A total of 61 suspected traffickers have been killed, with three reported survivors who were later repatriated.
Earlier this month, U.S. forces carried out a major operation targeting three gunboats, killing 14 individuals allegedly linked to cartel activity. The Pentagon has refused to release the names or nationalities of those killed, nor evidence of narcotics found onboard, citing ongoing intelligence operations.
The escalation coincides with a buildup of U.S. naval assets, including the recent deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Western Hemisphere to support anti-narcotics missions.
The Trump administration has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of backing transnational cartels such as the Tren de Aragua, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro has criticized U.S. strikes as unlawful. Petro alleged that a September strike hit a disabled fishing vessel within Colombian waters, calling for an investigation by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In response, President Trump labeled Petro an “illegal drug leader” and announced plans to cut aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers in Washington are questioning the legal scope of the military actions. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned that “killing people without due process” risks harming innocent civilians, citing Coast Guard data showing many boarded vessels later proved non-criminal.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee issued a letter Wednesday demanding the administration provide the legal justification for what they described as a “series of lethal maritime strikes” that may contravene both U.S. and international law.
Despite criticism, Hegseth defended the campaign, saying it is part of a declared “non-international armed conflict” against narco-terror organizations threatening U.S. national security.
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