The U.S. military on Monday conducted a military strike against a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing two men aboard, the U.S. Southern Command said.
In a post on the social media platform X, the command said that the strike was carried out by the U.S. Joint Task Force Southern Spear at the direction of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, targeting a vessel reportedly operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters.
Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations, the post said, adding that two male narco-terrorists were killed in the attack.
In recent months, the United States has increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela under the stated objective of countering drug trafficking.
On November 13, Washington formally announced the launch of the military initiative "Southern Spear," aimed at increasing pressure on the Venezuelan government. To date, however, the U.S. has not publicly presented verifiable evidence linking the vessels it has targeted to drug smuggling operations.
Data from recent reports issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration indicates that Venezuela is not a primary source of narcotics entering the United States. Venezuelan authorities have repeatedly accused the United States of using counter-narcotics operations as a pretext for military expansion in Latin America and attempting to orchestrate a change of government in Venezuela through military intimidation.
US military conducts strike against 1 alleged drug vessel in eastern Pacific, killing 2
US military conducts strike against 1 alleged drug vessel in eastern Pacific, killing 2
