The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it had targeted five suspected drug-smuggling boats over two days, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals while others leaped overboard and potentially survived. The specific locations of the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday were not disclosed by U.S. Southern Command, responsible for South America oversight. Previous operations have been conducted in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
A video shared by Southern Command on social media captured the Tuesday incident, showing three boats traveling closely together, an uncommon sight. The military stated that these vessels were part of a convoy along established narco-trafficking routes and had engaged in narcotics transfers before being targeted. However, no evidence was provided to corroborate this assertion.
During the first strike, three individuals perished, while occupants of the other two boats abandoned ship and distanced themselves before the subsequent attacks. Southern Command promptly alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate search and rescue operations, though it did not confirm if those who leaped overboard were rescued.
The involvement of the Coast Guard is noteworthy due to previous controversy surrounding a September incident where U.S. forces killed survivors of an initial attack with a follow-up strike. While some critics accused the military of criminal actions, the Trump administration and certain Republican lawmakers defended the legality of the subsequent strike.
In a separate statement, Southern Command reported that U.S. forces had targeted two additional boats on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of five individuals involved in alleged drug smuggling along recognized trafficking routes. The statement did not offer evidence of the purported trafficking activities or disclose the location of the attacks. Social media posts accompanying the statement featured footage of a boat in the water and explosions.
These recent strikes bring the total number of known boat incidents involving the U.S. military to 35, resulting in the deaths of at least 115 individuals since early September, as per the Trump administration’s figures. President Donald Trump has justified these actions as crucial steps to curb drug influx into the U.S., asserting an “armed conflict” against drug cartels.
Concurrently, the Trump administration has bolstered military presence in the region as part of mounting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in the U.S. Additionally, recent reports suggest that the CIA orchestrated a drone strike at a suspected docking site utilized by Venezuelan drug cartels, marking the first direct operation on Venezuelan soil amidst the escalating campaign against Maduro’s government.