WASHINGTON — Five men were killed and one person injured after the U.S. military says it struck two boats in the Eastern Pacific believed to be involved in drug trafficking on April 11.
According to U.S. Southern Command, two men were killed in the first strike, while a third survived. In a second strike, three additional suspected traffickers were killed.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” U.S. Southern Command said on X.
The military did not release evidence confirming the boats were carrying drugs. Videos posted on X appeared to show small vessels moving across the water before being engulfed in explosions.
Over the last few months, the U.S. military has struck several different boats it says are involved in narco-terrorism. The April 11 operation brings the reported death toll from such strikes to at least 168.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America, describing the strikes as a necessary step to curb the flow of drugs into the United States and reduce overdose deaths.
Critics have raised concerns about both the legality and effectiveness of the strikes, noting that the Drug Enforcement Administration has said that much of the fentanyl linked to overdose deaths is trafficked over land through Mexico, where it is often produced using chemicals sourced from China and India.
