The United States carried out a new airstrike in the Pacific on Monday against a speedboat allegedly linked to drug traffickers, killing two people, the US Southern Command reported. The strike is part of an ongoing campaign targeting vessels suspected of transporting narcotics since September 2025.
Scale of the campaign
The latest strike brings the total to at least 130 people killed and 38 boats destroyed since the campaign began. It marks the third known airstrike this year, following operations on 23 January and 5 February.
Unusually, the US military reported one survivor and immediately contacted the coast guard to conduct a search-and-rescue operation.
Legal and human rights concerns
The Trump administration has not presented public evidence showing that any of the targeted vessels engaged in illegal trafficking. Experts have challenged the campaign’s legality, and opposition figures in Washington have criticised the operations.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the airstrikes as “extrajudicial executions.”
Venezuela operation
In January, US forces entered Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas as part of the anti-cartel operations.
US authorities accuse the couple of “drug terrorism” and importing large quantities of cocaine into the United States. The US transferred them to custody and jailed them. Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty in a New York court. Their next hearing is scheduled for 17 March.
Also read: Venezuela’s Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump
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