Trump Administration carries out new attacks on drug trafficking vessels in the Pacific

The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reported Sunday that Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted two separate strikes against drug trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific on Saturday, marking the first such operations so far this month. As detailed by the command, the first attack left two men dead and one survivor, while a second operation resulted in the deaths of all three people inside the vessel.

Following the incidents, the military agency alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, which initiated search and rescue efforts. Authorities have not yet provided an update on the condition of the survivor. The operations represent the 48th and 49th attacks since the administration of President Donald Trump began targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels on Sept. 1. The campaign has left at least 168 dead so far.

Open war on drug trafficking

Detailing the mission in a statement on social networks, the command noted, "Applying total systemic friction on the cartels. On April 11, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted two lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed, and one narco-terrorist survived the first strike. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during the second strike. Following the engagements, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor. No U.S. military forces were harmed."

The operations come amid a broader debate over military deployment in the region. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle recently asserted that the Navy did not need an aircraft carrier under command to execute maritime interdiction missions. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group had initially been deployed to the region before being redirected to the Middle East as part of the U.S. military build-up ahead of strikes against the Iranian regime.

Since the beginning of his second presidency, Trump has characterized the situation as an "armed conflict" with Latin American cartels, whom he has pointed to as some of the main culprits behind the crisis the country has been experiencing in recent years regarding drug addiction and the wave of overdose deaths it has caused.