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U.S. launches new strike on alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 2

Xinhua · back to the audit

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military carried out a new strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Sunday, killing two people aboard, according to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

The strike sank "a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific," SOUTHCOM said late Sunday in a post on X.

"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking," claimed the command, providing no details or evidence.

The latest operation was the first publicly announced U.S. strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in nearly two months, according to U.S. media reports.

According to a tally by Just Security, a national security publication affiliated with New York University School of Law, it was the 67th such strike in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since the campaign began in early September 2025, bringing the death toll to 223, including 23 people missing or presumed dead.

The campaign has drawn questions from lawmakers and legal experts over the legal basis for using lethal military force against suspected drug traffickers. Critics have also questioned the evidence used to identify targeted vessels and individuals.