U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) highlighted on Tuesday the role of the Mexican Navy following the interdiction of a semi-submersible vessel loaded with suspected drugs more than 250 nautical miles south-southwest of the port of Manzanillo, on the Pacific coast.
“Excellent work by our partners in Mexico to deliver a strong blow to the drug cartels,” SOUTHCOM posted on the social network X.
The entity added that the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) “takes pride in having supported this significant interdiction,” and described the action as “another example of how regional partners work together to combat transnational crime and make the hemisphere a safer place.”
For its part, the Navy of the Aztec country (SEMAR) reported on its social media that, as a result of maritime surveillance operations, naval personnel secured a semi-submersible vessel with three crew members and more than 170 bundles of presumed illegal cargo.
The operation took place in international waters, a considerable distance from the Mexican coast, and unlike others carried out by U.S. forces as part of Operation Southern Spear, the vessel was not hit by explosive munitions nor were any deaths reported during this.
According to SEMAR, this represents the second successful operation at sea in the last ten days, which —the institution stated— reflects the persistence and effectiveness of actions to uphold the rule of law and protect Mexican families.
Cooperation between Mexico and the United States occurs in the context of a growing U.S. military offensive against organizations that Washington classifies as transnational narco-terrorists.
Since September 2025, the Southern Command has been executing Operation Southern Spear , which has included dozens of lethal attacks against vessels in maritime routes of the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
On February 16, under the direction of General Francis L. Donovan, the Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out three lethal kinetic strikes against three vessels operated by organizations designated as terrorists.
According to the official statement, eleven alleged narco-terrorists were killed in this operation: four on an initial boat in the eastern Pacific, four on a second boat in the same area, and three on a third boat intercepted in the Caribbean. No U.S. casualties were reported.
Days earlier, on February 13, another operation in the Caribbean left three dead, while on February 9, an attack in the eastern Pacific resulted in two fatalities and one survivor, who was later assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to counts based on official statements from the Pentagon, at least 144 people have died in 40 confirmed attacks since the beginning of the campaign. The administration of President Donald Trump has defended these actions as part of a strategy to disrupt key maritime drug trafficking routes and exert a direct deterrent effect on the cartels.
However, the escalation has raised legal questions and concerns from human rights organizations, which warn about the lack of judicial processes and the absence of conclusive public evidence regarding the shipments carried by the attacked vessels.
In this context, Mexico's active participation is noteworthy. Although the Mexican Navy has historically conducted operations against drug trafficking in its jurisdictional waters, the public and acknowledged coordination with Southern Command highlights a greater integration in the hemispheric strategy driven from Washington.
The use of semi-submersible vessels, designed to evade radar and detection systems, has become one of the main tactics employed by cartels to transport shipments from South America to Central and North America. These low-profile and hard-to-track ships present a constant challenge for authorities.
With Mexico joining these operations and the operational support from the United States, pressure on drug trafficking maritime routes is intensifying at a time when regional security is a top priority on the hemispheric agenda. The evolution of this cooperation and its diplomatic and legal effects will be crucial in the coming weeks.
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