US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said a strike was conducted on a vessel suspected of smuggling narcotics. Pushing the total number of people killed by Operation Southern Spear to over 200.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.” SOUTHCOM posted on X on Saturday. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.”
On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… pic.twitter.com/IMgQiUTPnP
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 31, 2026
Last year, President Donald Trump authorized the Department of War to conduct lethal attacks against suspected drug boats in Latin America. SOUTHCOM conducted dozens of attacks on vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, killing over 200 people.
The White House has asserted that the targeted boats are operated by narco-terrorists attempting to smuggle fentanyl into the US. However, the administration has not offered the American people any evidence to support the claim.
Additionally, some evidence suggests that at least some of the vessels that have been attacked were not involved in narcotics trafficking. The family members of several victims have said their slain relatives were fishermen.
Many of the ships that were attacked by the US were struck in the Caribbean Sea after departing Venezuela. A minimal amount of fentanyl is trafficked from Venezuela to the US.
Even if the ships were involved in narcotics smuggling, it is still illegal to conduct lethal strikes against the vessels. Senator Rand Paul has argued that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.
