US Military Kills Four in Pacific Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel

The US military said four men were killed during a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific, as Washington intensifies counter-narcotics operations.

The U.S. military said four men were killed on Wednesday during a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, in what Washington described as a counter-narcotics operation carried out in international waters.

U.S. Southern Command said intelligence confirmed the vessel was moving along a well-known drug-smuggling route and was transporting narcotics linked to what officials termed a “narco-terrorist” network.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that the operation was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and targeted a vessel operated by a terrorist-linked organisation. He said four “drug trafficker-terrorists” were killed and no U.S. forces were injured.

The strike came one day after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, accusing the Maduro government of using oil revenues to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities.

According to the Pentagon, U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, operations that have resulted in at least 99 deaths.

The campaign has drawn criticism from some lawmakers and analysts, who warn it risks evolving into an undeclared military escalation against Venezuela. The U.S. administration has told Congress it has no current legal basis or plans to strike targets on Venezuelan soil, though officials have not ruled out future actions.

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