The U.S. launches a lethal attack against a vessel

The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reported on Friday that the Joint Task Force "Southern Spear" carried out a "lethal kinetic strike" against a low-profile vessel linked to drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.

The action left two presumed "narcoterrorists" dead and one survivor, according to the official report released by the command.

According to SOUTHCOM, the operation was carried out under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and targeted a vessel that, according to U.S. intelligence, was operated by "Designated Terrorist Organizations" and was traveling along known drug trafficking routes in international waters.

SOUTHCOM indicated that its intelligence operations confirmed that the vessel was "actively" participating in drug trafficking activities.

After the attack, the military command stated that it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate a search and rescue system aimed at assisting the survivor.

This attack is part of a series of recent operations by the Southern Spear Task Force against vessels linked to drug trafficking in both the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.

These actions are part of a military offensive led by the administration of Donald Trump against criminal organizations related to drug trafficking, under the mission titled "Lanza del Sur."

Since October 2025, the United States has intensified its offensive against drug trafficking in the Caribbean with the establishment of a Joint Task Force dedicated to maritime operations and intelligence under the command of Southern Command.

This structure unified the Navy, the Coast Guard, and federal agencies into a common strategy to curb drug routes coming from South America, marking the beginning of a new phase in Washington's drug policy.

In January 2026, that offensive escalated with a , in which U.S. forces destroyed three drug trafficking boats and took down several presumed traffickers in the eastern Pacific.

The Southern Command described the operation as a “tactical success” within the Southern Lance mission, designed to neutralize organizations designated as terrorist due to their links with drug trafficking.

A few days later, President Donald Trump announced the expansion of military actions on land, stating that "we know where the drugs are coming in" and that the country will not stand idly by in the face of the threat.

With these statements, the president confirmed the and the expansion of the conflict beyond the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, extending towards the land routes at the southern border of the United States.