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New attacks in the Pacific against three narco-boats leave eight dead

According to official data, this military counter-narcotics offensive in international waters has left at least 95 dead and destroyed 26 boats since the beginning of September.

Screenshot of a video posted by the US Southern Command X account.

Screenshot of a video posted by the US Southern Command X account.AFP

Diane Hernández
Published by
Diane Hernández

The U.S. military announced Monday night new attacks in the eastern Pacific against three suspected drug trafficking-linked boats, actions that left eight people dead.

According to the U.S. Southern Command, the operations were carried out in international waters as part of the anti-drug campaign that Washington maintains in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. According to official data, this military offensive has left at least 95 dead and destroyed 26 gunboats since the beginning of September.

In a message disseminated on the social network X, the Southern Command said that U.S. intelligence confirmed that the attacked boats "were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking."

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The official communiqué, issued on December 15, states that the actions were carried out "at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth," and that the Joint Task Force 'Southern Spear' executed "lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters." The same message detailed that "a total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions—three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third."

The Southern Command publication also included video images showing three separate boats floating separately at sea before they were hit in the strikes.

Legal backing in armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels

According to the Washington Post, the Justice Department produced in July a classified report that defines the legal basis for these attacks and guarantees judicial immunity to the personnel involved. The document was reportedly used to brief Congress that the country is "in an armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, which the administration of president Donald Trump has designated as terrorist organizations.

However, the offensive has generated international criticism. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged Washington to investigate the legality of the operations, noting that there are "strong indications" that they could constitute extrajudicial killings.

For his part, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, accused of drug trafficking by the U.S. justice system, denounced that the military buildup in the region is part of an alleged "plot" to overthrow him.

The Trump Administration maintains that its strategy seeks to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks and protect U.S. borders, in a campaign that has already involved a considerable deployment of troops and resources in the Caribbean and the Pacific, including the presence of the world's largest aircraft carrier and several warships.

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