US The United States reported that it carried out a military attack against a vessel linked to drug trafficking that was traveling along organized crime routes in the Eastern Pacific, in an operation that left two suspected narco-terrorists dead and one survivor, the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reported. The operation was executed by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, under the supervision of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. A video released on SOUTHCOM's official account shows the vessel being struck while navigating in international waters. "Following the attack, a search and rescue operation was launched to locate the sole survivor," stated the official press release from Southern Command.

U.S. Maritime Counter-Narcotics Operations

Since September 2015, the Donald Trump administration implemented Operation Southern Spear, with the objective of targeting vessels suspected of drug trafficking. According to data compiled by CNN, 34 ships have been destroyed, resulting in at least 110 deaths. The US government defends these actions, stating that organized crime groups have been designated as terrorists, and that the attacks aim to disrupt drug trafficking routes and protect regional security.

International Controversy and Criticism

Human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have criticized these operations, calling them extrajudicial killings that lack international legal backing. In a recent report, the NGO stated: “The United States is carrying out a campaign of extrajudicial killings with deliberately lethal attacks against vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans without any credible legal basis.”

This attack is the first since late 2015 and also the first since the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on January 3, who was transferred to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Following that operation, the US military focused its efforts on seizing oil tankers associated with Venezuela. President Trump defended the policy of attacks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.asserting that these actions have managed to stop almost 100% of the drugs entering by sea. However, the international community and legal experts have questioned the use of lethal force in international waters.

International Military Cooperation

In parallel, the U.S. announced that General Dan Caine will host a military meeting on February 11 in Washington, with leaders from 34 countries, to strengthen regional cooperation and coordinate strategies against criminal organizations and external threats to continental security.