US Strikes Drug-Smuggling Boats In Pacific, 14 Killed | World News

The US military launched multiple attacks on four boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing 14 people and leaving one person alive, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.

In a post on The attacks are part of President Donald Trump’s intensified campaign against suspected drug trafficking networks operating in international waters.

Mexican authorities took over the search and rescue operation for the lone survivor, according to Hegseth. The latest operation marked the first time more than one strike was carried out on the same day as part of the new campaign.

“The four ships were known to our intelligence apparatus; they were transiting known drug trafficking routes and were carrying narcotics. During the first attack, there were eight male narco terrorists on board. During the second attack, there were four male narco terrorists on board. During the third attack, there were three male narco terrorists on board. A total of 14 narco terrorists were killed and one survived during the three attacks. All attacks occurred in international waters. No US forces were harmed,” Pete Hegseth said in a post on X.

Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; “Mexican SAR authorities acknowledged the case and took responsibility for coordinating the rescue,” he added.

The attacks bring to 13 the total number of US military operations targeting drug-smuggling boats since early September. According to CNN, 14 ships in total were destroyed and 57 people died; Three people have been reported to have survived so far.

The Trump administration last week expanded the scope of its campaign to include the Eastern Pacific, following earlier attacks targeting ships in the Caribbean Sea. Earlier this month, two survivors of a similar attack in the Caribbean were detained by the US Navy before being repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at her daily news conference that her government had been briefed on Monday’s operation and the potential survivor. “These incidents occurred in international waters,” he said, adding that he had instructed Secretary of State Juan Ramon de la Fuente to coordinate with US Ambassador Ron Johnson and the Mexican Navy Secretariat for further details, as reported by CNN.

CNN previously reported that the Trump administration had produced a secret legal opinion that justified the use of lethal force against drug traffickers by categorizing them as enemy combatants and allowing such attacks without judicial review.