The US military conducted another strike against a boat suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, immediately killing two people and leaving six survivors. This operation is part of an ongoing campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America that has escalated under President Donald Trump.
Escalating Campaign Since September 2025
The latest attack brings the total number of such strikes to more than 60 since the Trump administration began targeting what it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September 2025. According to US Southern Command, the cumulative death toll from these boat strikes has exceeded 210 people. The military stated that the strike occurred along known smuggling routes, though it did not provide evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs.
Survivors and Search Efforts
It remains unclear whether the six survivors from Thursday's strike were rescued. US Central Command said they notified the US Coast Guard, as they did after the June 16 strike that left two survivors. The Coast Guard reported suspending their search for survivors from the June 16 strike a day later, citing “no signs of survivors or debris.” They had no comment on the current strike. A black-and-white video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before being struck by a visible projectile and bursting into flames.
Legal and Political Controversy
President Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and combat fatal overdoses. However, his administration has offered little evidence to support claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” Critics question the legality and effectiveness of the strikes, noting that fentanyl, which drives many US overdoses, is typically trafficked over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals from China and India.
On Thursday, US lawmakers demanded the Pentagon release “unedited video” of the very first strike after reports emerged that the US chose to conduct a follow-up strike on survivors of the initial attack. In that incident, two men who survived the first strike that killed nine others were clinging to wreckage when the vessel was struck again, killing them. The White House confirmed the follow-up strike, insisting it was done “in self-defense” to ensure the boat was destroyed and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict. But some legal scholars said a second strike killing survivors would have been illegal under any circumstance.
Ongoing Oversight
The Pentagon’s watchdog said in May that it planned to investigate whether the US military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out the strikes. However, the evaluation is focused specifically on the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle, not on the legality of the strikes, the inspector general’s office said.
