The U.S. military has killed six people in new strikes on what it says were drug-running boats, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday, bringing the total death toll in the campaign to 76.
According to CBS News, Hegseth said in a post on X that the U.S. carried out two strikes Sunday in international waters of the eastern Pacific, targeting two vessels “carrying narcotics” with three “male narco-terrorists” aboard each.
“All 6 were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed,” he wrote.
The Defense Department did not identify those killed or provide evidence that the targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States. The operations, which began in September under President Donald Trump’s administration, have drawn scrutiny from human rights groups and experts who say the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings, even if they target known traffickers.
Hegseth said the boats were “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” but did not name the groups.
Video released with his post showed one strike on a stationary boat and another on an open-top vessel that exploded while moving. The footage showed parcels loaded inside the second boat, while the first appeared only in black-and-white imagery.
The U.S. military has now destroyed at least 20 vessels, including 19 boats and one “narco-sub,” as part of its anti-cartel campaign.
“Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people,” Hegseth said.
The strikes come as the U.S. expands its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying six Navy ships, F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico, and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the region.
Families of those killed have said many victims were civilians, mostly fishermen. Washington has maintained the operations target drug traffickers, while Venezuela’s government has accused the Trump administration of using the campaign as cover to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
When asked by 60 Minutes last week if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Trump replied, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.” He also confirmed last month that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk urged Washington on Monday to investigate the legality of the strikes, warning of “strong indications” of “extrajudicial killings.”
“I have called for investigations by the U.S. administration first and foremost,” Türk told AFP. “They need to ask themselves the question: are these violations of international human rights law? Are they extrajudicial killings? I mean, there are strong indications that they are.”
Last week, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have limited Trump’s authority to launch strikes against Venezuela, as Democrats pushed for tighter oversight of his campaign against Maduro.
In August, the Trump administration doubled its bounty for Maduro, offering $50 million for his arrest.
