On Tuesday, the U.S. military announced that it had carried out strikes on three boats accused of drug smuggling in Latin American waters, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals. This event marks one of the deadliest days in the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against what it deems "narcoterrorists." Since the operation began in early September, the death toll has risen to at least 145 people.
The strikes conducted on Monday targeted alleged drug traffickers operating along established smuggling routes. According to U.S. Southern Command, two vessels with four individuals each were struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while a third boat with three individuals was targeted in the Caribbean Sea. Despite these actions, the military did not provide specific evidence that the vessels were transporting drugs, though it released videos showcasing the destruction of the boats.
The videos posted by Southern Command depict the boats either moving or stationary in the water before being engulfed in flames due to the airstrikes. Observers can spot people sitting in two of the small vessels prior to their destruction, raising ethical concerns about the military's actions. President Donald Trump has characterized the U.S. as being in an "armed conflict" with Latin American cartels, supporting the strikes as a needed escalation to reduce drug inflows.
Critics question the legality and efficacy of these military operations, pointing out that the fentanyl responsible for many overdoses in the U.S. primarily arrives over land from Mexico, where it is manufactured using chemicals sourced from China and India. Furthermore, the boat strikes drew backlash after it was revealed that survivors from the initial attack were subsequently killed in a follow-up strike. This has led to allegations of murder or potential war crimes from legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, while the Trump administration maintains the actions are both legal and necessary.
These military actions are a component of a broader strategy by the Trump administration, which has seen one of the largest mobilizations of U.S. military assets in Latin America in generations. This campaign ultimately led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was extradited to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges following a raid by American forces on January 3.
Late last year, the world’s largest aircraft carrier was deployed to the Caribbean region, with a recent order to redirect to the Middle East amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying destroyers were reported to be positioned in the mid-Atlantic as of Tuesday, indicating their departure from the U.S. Southern Command's operational jurisdiction. This repositioning reinforces the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, where various warships, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, are currently active.
Since Maduro's extraction, the U.S. military has reported multiple boat strikes and has also focused on seizing oil tankers linked to Venezuela, part of an extensive effort to gain control over the South American nation's oil resources. Despite various legislative efforts from Democratic representatives aimed at limiting Trump’s military engagement in Venezuela, Republican lawmakers have effectively thwarted these initiatives.
