The attack on suspected drug smugglers brings the death toll from U.S. military operations against suspected drug smuggling vessels to about 150.
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Published February 23, 2026
The US military announced a new attack in the Caribbean targeting drug smugglers, killing three people.
U.S. Army Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) shared video of the attack on Monday, which shows a small boat explode and burst into flames after the attack.
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“Intelligence officials have confirmed that the vessel was operating on known drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in drug trafficking operations,” Southcom said in a statement.
“Three male narco-terrorists were killed in this action. No U.S. forces were harmed.”
This attack brings the death toll from attacks on U.S. military vessels that began last year to around 150.
Human rights activists say the U.S. military operations against suspected drug smugglers amount to extrajudicial killings and risk violating international and domestic laws.
The U.S. government claims all of the ships targeted were carrying drugs, but has provided little evidence beyond grainy footage of the attacks.
United Nations experts warned last year that the attack “appears to be an unlawful killing carried out at the behest of the government, without due process of law or judicial process.”
“Unprovoked attacks and killings on the high seas also violate international maritime law,” the experts added.
“We condemn these attacks at sea and have expressed our concerns to the U.S. government.”
The airstrikes began last September, when the United States was building up military assets in the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela. Since then, they have expanded and started targeting boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
On Friday, the United States attacked a suspected drug smuggling vessel, killing three people.
The operation continues even after U.S. forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early 2026.
Mr. Trump and other U.S. officials claim without evidence that each bombing saves thousands of lives from overdose death. However, it is unclear whether this deadly campaign has had a major impact on drug trafficking in the region.
The attack comes as Mexican authorities push to curb drug cartel violence following the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguerra Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” the kingpin of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
President Trump is trying to make it appear as if he is starting a literal war on drugs throughout the Western Hemisphere.
“Mexico must step up its efforts against cartels and drugs!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
The United States has often accused its critics in Latin America, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro, of ties to drug trafficking.
At the same time, in December, he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. prison after being convicted of drug trafficking.
