US Strikes Another Alleged Drug-Trafficking Boat in Caribbean, Killing 3; Death Toll Rises to 70 in Controversial Anti-Narcotics Campaign

US forces carried out another deadly strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean on Thursday, killing three people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed. The attack is part of Washington’s widening anti-narcotics campaign, which has now killed at least 70 people since operations began in early September.

The US military has destroyed at least 18 vessels so far — 17 boats and one semi-submersible — in a campaign that officials claim targets narco-terrorist networks. However, human rights experts and Latin American governments have accused Washington of conducting extrajudicial killings, noting that no concrete evidence has been made public linking the destroyed vessels to drug smuggling.

Pentagon defends strikes

Hegseth released aerial footage of Thursday’s strike on X (formerly Twitter), saying the operation took place in international waters and targeted “a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.” He added that no US personnel were harmed.

“To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs — we will kill you,” Hegseth wrote.

The footage, similar to previous Pentagon releases, obscured parts of the vessel for unspecified reasons.

Expanding military footprint in Latin America

The Trump administration has dramatically expanded its military presence in Latin America, framing the campaign as an effort to “stamp out drug trafficking.” Six Navy ships are currently deployed in the Caribbean, alongside F-35 stealth fighters stationed in Puerto Rico and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group operating in regional waters.

Yet the strikes have sparked outrage in several Latin American nations, with families of those killed insisting many victims were civilians, including fishermen.

Rising regional tensions

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of using the anti-drug campaign as cover for regime change. US bombers have reportedly conducted multiple “shows of force” near Venezuelan airspace since mid-October.

Maduro, who faces US drug-trafficking indictments, has denied his country’s involvement in the cocaine trade, claiming Venezuela is “a victim” of routes originating in Colombia.

The Trump administration, in its notice to Congress, described the ongoing operations as part of an “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels — a designation that critics say stretches the legal boundaries of US military engagement in the region.