US strikes on suspected drug boats in Pacific kill six amid growing scrutiny

US military kills six in Eastern Pacific strikes targeting suspected drug boats

The United States has carried out two new strikes on boats accused of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing six people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday.

In a post on X, Hegseth said the military conducted “two lethal kinetic strikes” against vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations on Sunday, under the direction of President Donald Trump.

“These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth stated.

The twin attacks mark the latest in an ongoing US campaign targeting drug-trafficking boats in South American waters, an operation that many observers say doubles as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

According to a CNN report, the US military has conducted 19 such strikes since September 2, destroying 20 boats and killing at least 76 people. Of those targeted, three people reportedly survived. The U.S. Navy briefly detained two before being sent back to their home countries, while one is presumed dead after a search by the Mexican Navy.

In recent briefings to Congress, administration officials have acknowledged that U.S. forces do not always know the identities of those on board before striking. Instead, operations are carried out based on intelligence suggesting links between vessels and specific cartels or criminal organizations.

Lawmakers,  including some Republicans,  have called for greater transparency about who is being targeted and on what legal grounds. The administration has told Congress it considers the U.S. to be in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, allowing it to label those killed as “unlawful combatants.” This classification enables lethal strikes without judicial oversight, under a classified Justice Department finding.

The move has drawn criticism from human rights groups and some members of Congress, who argue that suspected traffickers should be prosecuted through the justice system rather than targeted with lethal force. They note that past U.S. policy emphasized interdiction and arrest over direct attacks.

So far, the administration has not publicly provided evidence that the targeted vessels were carrying narcotics or linked to terrorist groups. Military officials, however, have confirmed that no U.S. personnel have been injured during the operations.