The U.S. military reported on Wednesday that it targeted five suspected drug-smuggling vessels over a two-day period, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals while others fled by jumping overboard. The specific location of the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday was not disclosed by the U.S. Southern Command, which has jurisdiction over South America and has previously conducted similar operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
A video released by Southern Command depicted the Tuesday incident, showing three boats traveling closely together, a behavior deemed uncommon. According to the military, the vessels were operating in a convoy along established narco-trafficking pathways and had engaged in transferring narcotics among them before the strikes, although no concrete evidence was provided to support this claim.
The initial strike on the first boat resulted in three fatalities, while occupants of the remaining two boats abandoned ship and distanced themselves before being targeted. Southern Command promptly alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate search and rescue missions, with no confirmation provided on the fate of those who jumped off the boats.
The involvement of the Coast Guard is significant due to previous criticism faced by the U.S. military for an incident in early September where survivors of an attack were killed in a subsequent strike on their disabled vessel. This action sparked controversy, with some Democratic lawmakers and legal analysts alleging wrongdoing, while the Trump administration and certain Republican officials defended the legality of the follow-up strike.
In a separate statement, Southern Command announced that U.S. forces had engaged two additional boats on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of five individuals suspected of drug smuggling along established trafficking routes. The total number of boat interdictions by the U.S. military now stands at 35, with at least 115 individuals killed since the operations began in early September, as per information released by the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump has justified these actions as necessary measures to curb drug influx into the U.S., asserting that the country is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. Concurrently, the Trump administration has bolstered military presence in the region as part of an escalating pressure strategy against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in the U.S.
Recent reports indicate that the CIA conducted a drone strike at a suspected docking site used by Venezuelan drug syndicates, marking the first direct operation on Venezuelan territory since the commencement of U.S. strikes in September. This operation signifies a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressurize Maduro’s government.
