The United States Southern Command (U.S. Southern Command, SOUTHCOM) confirmed on Wednesday the death of four men following a new attack on a vessel allegedly operated by drug traffickers in international waters of the Eastern Pacific.
In an official statement, the command reported that, following orders from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the Joint Task Force Southern Spear executed a “lethal kinetic strike” against the vessel, as part of the Southern Spear Operation.
The entity claims to have confirmed through intelligence that the vessel was traveling along a known drug trafficking route.
"Four male narco-terrorists were killed and no members of the U.S. military were injured," the statement said.
According to the information, the vessel was part of a network involved in drug and arms trafficking operating in the eastern Pacific maritime corridor, an area monitored by U.S. forces from Central America to the South American coast.
Authorities did not specify the nationality of the deceased or the type of vessel destroyed; however, these attacks have been condemned by some countries that are demanding the U.S. explain these operations.
This attack is part of the Southern Spear Operation, a military campaign launched by the administration of President Donald Trump in September 2025 to combat what Washington refers to as “transnational narcoterrorist organizations.”
Under the command of Secretary Hegseth, the operation has deployed naval forces, aerial units, and autonomous drones in the Caribbean and the Pacific, with the aim of intercepting vessels linked to drug trafficking and to regimes identified by the United States, such as that of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
In recent months, South Command has confirmed multiple similar operations. On December 15, coordinated attacks destroyed three vessels and left eight alleged narcoterrorists dead.
At the beginning of the month, another operation resulted in the deaths of four men in a speedboat that was allegedly transporting illegal cargo in the same area of the Pacific.
According to the Pentagon, the operations of the Southern Spear aim to cut off the maritime routes used by cartels and groups allied with authoritarian regimes in the region.
The operation has generated reactions in several countries in the region, some of which expressed concern over the “militarization of international waters.” Others argue that it is merely a strategy to pressure the regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
However, Washington defends the legality of the attacks under the framework of the global fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.
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