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The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike Thursday on a vessel it said was involved in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, killing three men the command described as “narco-terrorists,” according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
“On June 18, 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 said in a statement.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the statement continued.
The military said three men it described as “narco-terrorists” were killed in the strike. SOUTHCOM did not say whether anyone survived.
US MILITARY ANNOUNCES ANOTHER DEADLY STRIKE AGAINST ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’
A suspected drug-trafficking vessel erupts in flames following a U.S. military strike in the Eastern Pacific on June 18, 2026. (U.S. Southern Command)
No U.S. military personnel were harmed, the command said.
SOUTHCOM also released a brief video showing a vessel speeding through the water before erupting in flames. Additional footage appeared to show debris floating in the aftermath of the strike.
SOUTHCOM did not identify the location of the operation beyond saying it occurred along known narcotics-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.
VIDEO CAPTURES US STRIKE ON SUSPECTED NARCO VESSEL IN EASTERN PACIFIC, COAST GUARD SEARCHES FOR 3 SURVIVORS
U.S. Southern Command said a strike conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear targeted a vessel linked to narcotics-trafficking operations. (U.S. Southern Command)
The strike was the latest in a months-long campaign launched by the Trump administration aimed at dismantling cartel-linked trafficking networks.
According to The Associated Press, the latest operation brings the number of people killed in U.S. military strikes targeting vessels since September to at least 211.
The action comes after SOUTHCOM said Tuesday that it carried out a strike in the Eastern Pacific that killed one person it described as a “narco-terrorist.” Two other individuals survived that attack, the military said.
THREE SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS KILLED IN US MILITARY STRIKE ON DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN EASTERN PACIFIC
Debris floats in the Eastern Pacific following a U.S. military strike that officials said killed three alleged narco-terrorists. (U.S. Southern Command)
Last week, President Donald Trump announced that SOUTHCOM had “delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike” that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua.
The U.S. Department of State had previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the 42-year-old Venezuelan’s arrest or conviction.
While the military has released videos and statements describing the targeted vessels as linked to designated terrorist organizations, it has generally not publicly released evidence identifying those killed or demonstrating that the vessels were carrying narcotics.
WAR ON CARTELS? WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT HAS AN IRON-CLAD CASE TO STRIKE NARCO-TERRORIST GROUPS
A vessel identified by U.S. Southern Command as operating along known narcotics-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific on June 18, 2026. (U.S. Southern Command)
The campaign has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, legal experts and human rights groups who have questioned the legal basis for using lethal military force against suspected traffickers outside a traditional battlefield.
The Eastern Pacific remains a key corridor for narcotics trafficking, with criminal organizations frequently using small vessels to move drugs toward North America.
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SOUTHCOM has played a central role in the Trump administration’s expanded campaign against cartel-linked trafficking networks and transnational criminal organizations.
Digital’s Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
