US strikes alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 3

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN

(CNN) — The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing three people, according to US Southern Command.

“On Feb. 20, 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.” SOUTHCOM wrote on X, adding that no US military personnel were harmed in the strike.

At least 138 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign the Trump administration says is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.

Friday’s boat strike marks the sixth publicly known attack of the year and the second attack this week. The US military on Tuesday conducted a strike on three alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, killing 11 people, according to US Southern Command.

Ongoing military action in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean has been met with intense scrutiny in Congress since the operations began last September.

Prior to the US military’s campaign of boat strikes, countering illicit drug trafficking was handled by law enforcement and the US Coast Guard, and cartel members and drug smugglers were treated as criminals with due process rights. The Coast Guard has continued to interdict drug-trafficking vessels and seizing narcotics in the eastern Pacific without the use of lethal force.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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