US destroys another drug trafficking vessel in the Pacific as USS Gerald Ford arrives to Caribbean

The U.S. military shot down another narcotics-linked vessel in international waters in the Eastern Pacific in an operation that left three narco-terrorists dead, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Sunday.

SOUTHCOM said the target, destroyed Saturday, was "transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics." The action was carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, a counter-narcotics unit created in October to intensify operations in the region.

Expanding military deployment

The operation was made public the same day the USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Caribbean with more than 4,000 sailors, F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and long-range Tomahawk missiles. Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of Southern Command, stressed that this deployment reinforces U.S. resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and U.S. territory. Holsey will leave his post at the end of this year.

Since the beginning of September, the U.S. military has attacked 21 vessels linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths, described as "narco-terrorists."

New military campaign against "narco-terrorists"

On Thursday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear, a military and surveillance initiative to counter groups operating along drug trafficking routes within the Southern Command.

A day later, Trump stated that he has already "sort of made up [his] mind" on the next steps regarding Venezuela. Although he did not elaborate, he stressed that progress has been made in stemming the flow of drugs from that country.