New attack on suspected narco-boat in Pacific leaves four dead

The U.S. military reported Wednesday a new attack against a suspected drug trafficking vessel in Pacific waters, leaving four dead, according to official data.

The Southern Command indicated that the operation was carried out after intelligence work identified the vessel as part of a drug trafficking network. "Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting a known drug trafficking route in the eastern Pacific and was carrying out drug trafficking operations," the military agency said in a post on the X social network.

The attack is part of the counternarcotics campaign launched by Washington in September, during which the United States has carried out more than 25 similar operations, which have left at least 99 dead, according to official figures.

Unprecedented offensive

For this offensive, considered unprecedented, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of a large military force in the region, including a naval fleet led by the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the largest in the world, as well as the dispatch of fighter jets to Puerto Rico and the deployment of Marines.

According to Washington, the main objective of the campaign is to increase pressure on the government of Venezuela, which the United States describes as "narcoterrorist." That pressure intensified last week with the seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

The escalation continued on Tuesday, when Trump ordered the blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. In response, Caracas announced that its Navy will escort the tankers, raising tensions in the region.