US Military Conducts Lethal Strike on Suspected Drug Smuggling Boat in Eastern Pacific
On 29 December 2025, the US military announced that two men were killed in a lethal kinetic strike on a boat suspected of carrying drugs in international waters in the eastern Pacific. The targeted vessel was identified as transiting known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
The Pentagon released a video of the strike and confirmed that no US military personnel were harmed during the operation. The attack was described as being carried out at the direction of Pete Hegseth, who was identified by US Southern Command post-strike as the defense secretary.
This strike marks the 30th known naval attack on suspected drug smugglers since September, with a total death toll of at least 107 people. President Donald Trump has publicly justified these attacks by stating that the intercepted shipments would have killed 25,000 Americans had they reached the US. He also referenced a separate strike on a Venezuelan facility involving a dock explosion, but the White House and Pentagon did not provide further details.
