WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest U.S. military strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed three people Sunday, according to a social media post by U.S. Southern Command.
The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has gone on since early September and killed at least 186 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea.
The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
After Sunday's attack, Southern Command posted a video on X showing a boat moving swiftly in the water before an explosion left it in flames. It repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
The attacks began as the U.S. built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.
Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
MONTREAL (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored his NHL playoffs-leading fifth and sixth goals in the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday night in Game 4 to tie the series.
After the first three games in the first-round series went to overtime, Tampa Bay overcame a two-goal deficit to end it in regulation.
Hagel gave the Lightning the lead with 4:43 left, deflecting linemate Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Jakub Dobes. Hagel scored minutes after the Lightning had a 5-on-3 man advantage for 1:11.
“He’s definitely become the straw that stirs our drink,” Lightning coach John Cooper said about Hagel. “Even when we went down 2-0, he stood up and looked both ways and, literally I think, captivated the bench with what he was saying and the message he was delivering."
Tampa Bay held on after the Canadiens got a power-play chance with 2:33 left when Kucherov was called for slashing.
Lightning top-line center Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist, and Kucherov and defenseman J.J. Moser each had two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Tampa.
The Lightning rebounded after falling 3-2 on Friday night on defenseman Lane Hutson’s OT slap shot.
Hagel tied it on a power play at 1:40 off a centering pass from Kucherov. The Lightning got the man advantage when Oliver Kapanen was sent off for high-sticking Dominic James.
Before this spring, Hagel had had six career Stanley Cup playoff goals in 37 games with the Lightning across four playoff runs.
“He just does it all,” Guentzel said. “He’s a 200-foot player who plays both sides of the body. Obviously,, he’s the hottest guy in the league right now. He’s done it all year.”
Guentzel cut it to 2-1 with 54 seconds to go the second, beating Dobes from the left side off a feed from Moser.
“That’s a massive goal for us,” Hagel said. "I think going into the third period sometimes down two goals, could be a little bit dicey at times. To get one there, the period ends and you kind of take the crowd out of it right there. Then we get to come onto the ice and just kind of build off that.”
Zachary Bolduc and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal in 3:23 span in the second. Caufield scored for the first time in the series after having 51 goals in the regular season. Dobes made 17 saves.
“We didn’t play a good enough third, I would say,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “We take three penalties, it’s a veteran team, talented. They’re good at getting us to take penalties.”
Bolduc opened the scoring with 9:54 left in the second. He took a long pass from defenseman Kaiden Guhle, held off Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh and had the puck deflect in off his body as he cut across the front of the goal.
Caufield struck on a power play with 6:31 left in the period, with Guentzel off for slashing Dobes’ glove. Caufield took Nick Suzuki’s centering pass in the slot and redirected the puck in.
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Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel (38) celebrates with teammate Nikita Kucherov (86) after scoring against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) as Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky (20) looks on during third period NHL playoff hockey action in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) and defenceman Mike Matheson (8) look back on their goal after being scored Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel (38) during third period of an NHL playoff hockey action in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press, via AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel (59) scores against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) as Canadiens' Jayden Struble (47) defends during the second period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel (59) crashes into Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes, bottom left, as Canadiens' Nick Suzuki, center, looks for the puck during the second period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel (59) celebrates with teammates J.J. Moser (90) and Anthony Cirelli (71) after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning's Max Crozier (24) checks Montreal Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel (38) scores past Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) and Mike Matheson (8) during the third period of an NHL playoff hockey game, in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
