Photo: Alamy
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the U.S. military destroyed a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean that was allegedly carrying narcotics, killing all four people aboard. It marks the latest strike in the Trump administration’s campaign against drug cartels operating from South America.
Hegseth, who has been traveling in Japan and Malaysia, announced the attack in a social media post, saying intelligence determined the craft was “transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”
He added that the strike took place in international waters and that no U.S. personnel were injured, stating that the Defense Department “carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in the Eastern Pacific.”
“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” he continued.
A video shared by Hegseth shows the vessel engulfed in flames and smoke after being hit.
The operation is part of a nearly two-month campaign in the region, during which the United States has deployed a large naval presence of warships, Marines and aircraft. President Donald Trump has defended the strikes as a necessary escalation to combat the drug trade. He has said the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, citing the same legal authority used by the Bush administration after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to justify military action against terrorism.
According to Hegseth, Wednesday’s attack was the 14th strike since the campaign began. At least 61 people have been killed in the operations so far, U.S. officials said.
Previous strikes have included numerous vessels, including at least one cartel submarine destroyed earlier this month.
“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route. U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel. Two of the terrorists were killed. At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore,” the president posted to Truth Social at the time.
“The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.