The United States has carried out another strike against an alleged narco‑trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four men on board.
The operation, announced on 30 October by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, was conducted under the direction of President Donald Trump and is part of a wider campaign targeting drug cartels operating from South America.
According to Hegseth, the vessel was identified by U.S. intelligence as being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) and was travelling along a recognised narco‑trafficking route.
He stated that the craft was carrying narcotics and posed a direct threat to U.S. security. “The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco‑terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans,” Hegseth declared in a post on X.
The strike, which took place in international waters, resulted in the deaths of all four men aboard. U.S. officials confirmed that no American personnel were harmed during the operation.
A short video clip released by Hegseth showed the moment the vessel was struck, erupting into flames before sinking beneath the waves.
This latest action marks the continuation of an intensified U.S. campaign against maritime drug smuggling. Since early September, at least 14 vessels have been destroyed in similar operations, with dozens of suspected traffickers killed.
The Trump administration has rebranded the Pentagon as the “Department of War,” signalling a more aggressive stance in its counter‑narcotics and counter‑terrorism strategy.
While U.S. officials have framed the strikes as a necessary measure to disrupt the flow of narcotics into North America, critics have raised concerns about the lack of publicly available evidence linking the targeted vessels to terrorist organisations.
International law experts have also questioned the legality of conducting lethal strikes in international waters without broader multilateral oversight.
The Eastern Pacific has long been a major corridor for cocaine shipments originating from South America and destined for markets in the United States and beyond.
Analysts note that the region’s vast maritime expanse makes it difficult to patrol, providing traffickers with opportunities to evade detection.
For Washington, the strikes serve both as a tactical disruption of smuggling operations and a symbolic demonstration of the administration’s willingness to project force beyond U.S. borders.
Regional governments, however, remain cautious, with some expressing unease over the unilateral nature of the operations.
As the campaign continues, observers will be watching closely to see whether the strikes significantly reduce the flow of narcotics or risk escalating tensions with neighbouring states.
Sources: X, NewsNation, RSBN, Al Jazeera
