2 killed in new U.S. strike on alleged drug vessel in Eastern Pacific

U.S. military forces carried out a strike on a vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people, according to U.S. Southern Command.

The strike took place on Monday in the Eastern Pacific at the direction of Pete Hegseth, with Joint Task Force Southern Spear targeting a vessel that was operating along known narco-trafficking routes, SOUTHCOM said. The command said two male narco-terrorists were killed.

The strike comes as part of a broader campaign launched in September targeting vessels allegedly linked to designated terrorist organizations involved in drug trafficking across the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.

Since the operation began, at least 31 vessels have been struck, resulting in a total of 107 deaths, according to figures released by the command. Of those vessels, 20 were operating in the Pacific and 11 were operating in the Caribbean.

The previous strike was reported on Dec. 22, when SOUTHCOM said it targeted a “low-profile vessel” in the Pacific, killing one person.

On Dec. 29, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/69ywxXk30N

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 29, 2025