US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that American forces carried out another lethal strike on a vessel accused of drug trafficking in international waters, killing three men he described as “narcoterrorists.”
Trump said the operation targeted a boat linked to a designated terrorist organization operating within the US Southern Command’s area, which covers Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. He added that the vessel was allegedly transporting cocaine and fentanyl along a known smuggling route toward the United States. No US troops were injured in the strike.
The president shared a video of the attack on Truth Social, showing a small boat on open waters struck by a missile, followed by a plume of black smoke. “Stop selling fentanyl, narcotics, and illegal drugs in America, and committing violence and terrorism against Americans!” Trump wrote in his post.
Friday’s action marked the third US strike this month against suspected drug boats. Earlier this week, Trump claimed another vessel near South America was destroyed, killing three people and scattering large bags of narcotics into the sea. At the beginning of the month, a separate strike in the Caribbean killed 11 people allegedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.
However, details about the strikes remain scarce. Defense Department officials have not provided conclusive proof that the vessels were carrying drugs or connected to terrorist groups. Critics, including Senator Jack Reed, argue the operations may not meet the legal requirement of self-defense under US or international law.
Despite the criticism, senior officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled that more operations are likely, with Rubio stressing during a visit to Mexico and Ecuador that the US intends to “wage combat against drug cartels” threatening American lives.
