Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest U.S. military strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed three people Sunday, according to a social media post by U.S. Southern Command.
The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has and killed at least 186 people in total. Other strikes have taken place .
The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
After Sunday's attack, Southern Command posted a video on X showing a boat moving swiftly in the water before a explosion left it in flames. It repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
The attacks began as the U.S. built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that . He was brought to New York to and has pleaded not guilty.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.
