May 5 (UPI) — The U.S. military said late Tuesday it killed three people in its latest strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, raising the death toll from the Trump administration’s military campaign against alleged drug smugglers to at least 190.
It was U.S. Southern Command’s 56th strike in the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat drug smuggling since its first attack on Sept. 2, according to UPI’s tally. At least 59 boats have been destroyed in the strikes, which have been conducted in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
As with previous strikes, SOUTHCOM said in a statement that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
The U.S. military has yet to publicly provide evidence substantiating its claims.
A black-and-white aerial video posted to SOUTHCOM’s social media accounts of the strike shows a boat traveling, seemingly at great speed, across the ocean before it is enveloped in bright, white light. When the light abates, the boat is seen on fire, sending plumes of smoke into the air.
SOUTHCOM has said the boats were operated by one of 10 drug cartels and gangs that President Donald Trump has designated as terrorist organizations since returning to the White House in January 2025.
In support of the designations and the use of the U.S. military in drug-trafficking operations, Trump has said the United States is in “armed conflict” with the blacklisted groups.
He and his administration have come under increasing domestic and international condemnation over the strikes, which have been described as an unlawful use of the military for law enforcement actions and extrajudicial killings.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, Ben Saul, in March criticized the Trump administration for “responding with lawless violence that flagrantly violates human rights, in its phony war on so-called narco-terrorism.”
Late last month, 125 organizations issued an open call for all nations to end support for the U.S. campaign.
About the Author
