WASHINGTON, D.C. – US forces have killed 14 people in strikes on four alleged drug trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed. One survivor was reportedly rescued by Mexican search-and-rescue authorities.
The strikes, which took place on Monday under orders from President Donald Trump, are part of a wider campaign targeting suspected drug traffickers in both the Pacific and Caribbean. Hegseth said the vessels were following “known narco-trafficking routes” and were carrying narcotics. According to Hegseth, eight people were killed in the first strike, followed by four and three in the next two, respectively.
Video shared by the Pentagon shows multiple vessels engulfed in flames after being hit by US munitions.
“The department has spent over two decades defending other homelands. Now, we're defending our own,” Hegseth said.
The operations mark a notable escalation, with at least four strikes occurring in the Pacific, a major drug corridor, while previous attacks were mostly in the Caribbean. President Trump has asserted his authority to target vessels in international waters and suggested he may seek Congressional approval if the campaign expands to land-based targets.
The strikes have sparked legal and diplomatic criticism. International law experts, as well as Colombian and Venezuelan authorities, have questioned the legality of the attacks, citing the absence of due process. Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo described the strikes as “disproportionate” and without judicial oversight.
Tensions between the US, Colombia, and Venezuela have escalated amid the strikes. The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug-trafficking organisation, a charge he denies. US troop, aircraft, and naval deployments in the Caribbean, including the positioning of the USS Gerald R. Ford, have fueled concerns over potential broader military action.
Observers note the strikes come amid ongoing disputes over the legitimacy of Venezuela’s 2024 elections, which the US and others deemed unfair, with opposition claims that Maduro lost by a landslide.