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The U.S. military killed six suspected narcoterrorists Sunday after striking a drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific, according to the United States Southern Command.
Officials said the operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear under the direction of Francis L. Donovan, the commander of SOUTHCOM.
U.S. authorities said intelligence indicated the vessel was traveling along known narcotics trafficking routes and was actively involved in smuggling operations.
“On March 8, 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 routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM released in a statement to X alongside a video of the strike.
“Six male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed. The strike is part of a broader campaign targeting maritime drug-trafficking networks operating in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean,” the statement added.
According to officials, the latest operation brings the number of suspected narcoterrorists killed to at least 157 since the Trump administration began using military force against drug-smuggling vessels in September.
The eastern Pacific is considered one of the primary corridors used to transport cocaine and other illegal narcotics toward North America.
Smugglers in the region frequently rely on high-speed boats or low-profile vessels designed to evade radar and patrol aircraft while carrying large shipments of drugs north.
The mission follows a growing number of incidents in the Pacific after initial strikes in the Caribbean.
RSBN previously reported that last month, strikes against vessels killed 11 suspected narcoterrorists in three separate actions in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out the operations at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the command’s leader. Officials said no U.S. forces were injured.
In a statement posted on social media, SOUTHCOM said intelligence indicated the vessels were operating along known drug-trafficking routes and were engaged in trafficking activities.
“Late on Feb. 16, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted three lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” SOUTHCOM wrote in a statement.
