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The U.S. military said Wednesday that eight people were killed in new strikes on boats it identified as drug-smuggling vessels, raising the total number of deaths in the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged narcotics traffickers to at least 115.
U.S. Southern Command, which oversees American military operations in Central and South America, said the strikes took place Tuesday and Wednesday in unlisted international waters.
On Tuesday, U.S. forces “targeted three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy,” Southern Command said in a statement posted on X.
“These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels,” it added.
A video released by the command showed three small boats moving together at sea before a series of explosions destroyed them. The military said the Coast Guard was alerted to “activate the Search and Rescue system,” though it did not provide details about the fate of those who went overboard.
In a follow-up statement, Southern Command said two additional vessels were struck on Wednesday, killing five people. It did not specify where those attacks occurred.
Since September, U.S. forces have conducted more than 30 operations against what the Pentagon calls narco-trafficking boats used to move drugs toward the United States. Officials have yet to publicly release evidence showing that the targeted vessels were involved in smuggling.
The attacks come amid President Donald Trump’s broader pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom Washington accuses of overseeing a state-linked drug cartel. Maduro denies the charge and accuses the U.S. of using narcotics allegations as a pretext to push for regime change and gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil resources.