The United States confirmed aerial attacks on four boats suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 and leaving one survivor. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth detailed that the operations took place in international waters near Mexico. These bombings are part of a broader offensive against drug trafficking in the region.
On Monday, US forces conducted three separate interceptions against boats in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of 14 suspected narcotraffickers and one survivor. According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, eight crew members died in the first attack, four in the second, and three in the third. The four speedboats were known to US intelligence, traveling known narcotrafficking routes and carrying narcotics, belonging to a US-designated terrorist organization.
Hegseth reported that Mexican authorities took over coordination of the survivor's rescue, whose current whereabouts are unknown. No details have been provided on the victims' identities or nationalities. The official defended the operation, calling the crew “narcoterrorists” who have caused more American deaths than Al Qaeda. “We will track them, connect them to networks, and then hunt them down and eliminate them,” Hegseth stated.
These attacks raise the death toll to over 50 in the campaign ordered by President Donald Trump's administration in the Caribbean and Pacific. The operation involved guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighters, and a nuclear submarine, with the Ford carrier strike group en route to the region. Official sources indicated that future actions could include ground operations in Venezuela and Colombia.
Hegseth shared a 30-second video showing two boats exploding in the water as evidence of the bombings.