By Roberto Bustamante
Three people were killed Wednesday in another U.S. attack on a suspected drug vessel in the eastern Pacific, the Pentagon said.
The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees US military operations in Latin America, indicated in a social media post that the “lethal kinetic attack” in the eastern Pacific targeted “a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” and caused the death of “three narcoterrorists”.
A similar U.S. attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific on Tuesday left four dead, while another attack on Monday left two dead, SOUTHCOM reported.
Two more attacks carried out on Saturday against two different vessels left five dead and one survivor. The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for the survivor.
On April 15, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Process Power Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel changed into transiting along identified… pic.twitter.com/EaGDMHmpan
— US Southern Deliver (@Southcom) April 16, 2026
Wednesday’s attack brings the death toll to at least 178 since operations in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean began in early September. At least 53 vessels have been the target of attacks.
President Trump has declared that the United States is in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and the fatal overdoses that claim American lives.
Critics have questioned the current legality of the boat attacks, as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl responsible for many fatal overdoses is often trafficked into the United States overland from Mexico, where it is manufactured with chemicals imported from China and India.
Human Rights Ogle has declared that the attacks constitute “illegal extrajudicial killings,” while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called the Trump administration’s claims against the attacked vessels “baseless and alarmist accusations.”
Keep reading:
– The US kills two men in another attack on a vessel allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Pacific.
– Southern Command attacks two boats in the Pacific, leaving five dead.
