- US forces strike three suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific
- Eight people killed in latest operation, says US Southern Command
- Death toll from anti-drug strikes rises to at least 95
The US military on Monday carried out strikes against three vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing eight people, according to US Southern Command.
In a post on X, SOUTHCOM said that on December 15, Joint Task Force Southern Spear, acting on orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, launched lethal strikes on three boats operated by groups designated as terrorist organizations. Intelligence, the command said, confirmed that the vessels were travelling along known drug-smuggling routes in international waters and were actively involved in narcotics trafficking.
The latest operation brings the reported death toll from strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels to at least 95. The actions form part of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign the Trump administration says is aimed at disrupting international narcotics trafficking. The most recent prior strike occurred on December 4, when a suspected drug boat was hit in the eastern Pacific, killing four people on board, SOUTHCOM said.
The ongoing offensive has drawn growing scrutiny. The Trump administration has informed Congress that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which it says began with the first strike on September 2. According to CNN, the US military conducted a second strike that day on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean after an initial attack failed to kill all those on board—an action some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts have warned could constitute a war crime.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that all senators would receive a briefing on the strikes on Tuesday, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The American people deserve oversight, and we intend to provide it,” Schumer said in a post on X.
Rubio and Hegseth are also expected to deliver a classified briefing to members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The administration has described those killed in the strikes as “unlawful combatants” and has asserted that a classified Justice Department legal opinion allows the use of lethal force without judicial review.
The military action forms part of a broader, months-long pressure campaign against Venezuela, which has included the deployment of thousands of US troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, as well as repeated threats directed at President Nicolás Maduro.
Last week, the US imposed new sanctions on shipping companies and vessels accused of transporting Venezuelan oil, a day after authorities seized a sanctioned tanker off the country’s coast.
