U.S. forces carried out a lethal strike Saturday against a narcotics vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to U.S. Southern Command.
According to Fox News, the operation targeted a vessel tied to a designated terrorist organization operating in international waters.
The strike raises the total number of suspected narco-terrorists killed in the ongoing campaign to 82, with three survivors, U.S. officials said. The campaign focuses on vessels linked to transnational criminal networks and designated terrorist groups.
In a post on X, U.S. Southern Command said intelligence confirmed the targeted vessel was smuggling narcotics along a known trafficking route. The command described the operation as a “lethal kinetic operation” conducted in international waters to disrupt these criminal networks.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear on X, describing it as a new mission to target narco-terrorist networks across Latin America.
“This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people,” Hegseth said.
The operation is led by U.S. Southern Command in coordination with Joint Task Force Southern Spear. Last week, U.S. forces carried out their 20th strike on suspected drug-trafficking boats, killing four alleged narco-terrorists, according to a Pentagon official.
Since early September, U.S. strikes across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean have destroyed dozens of vessels linked to groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN).
The campaign began Sept. 2 with a strike that killed 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members, continuing through October and November with further targeted operations along known trafficking routes.
U.S. forces have targeted a variety of craft, including submersibles, fishing boats, and high-speed vessels. One ELN-affiliated vessel drew criticism from Colombia’s president after three men were killed. Recent operations have focused heavily in the Eastern Pacific, though several strikes occurred near Venezuela’s coast.
The Navy leads Operation Southern Spear under the 4th Fleet and Southern Command, using “long-dwell robotic surface vessels, small robotic interceptor boats, and vertical takeoff and landing robotic air vessels,” according to previous Navy statements.
The campaign is part of a broader U.S. effort to dismantle narco-terrorist networks and curb the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
