WASHINGTON DC, The U.S. military said Friday it carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the first known attack since the raid earlier this month that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post that the boat was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and that the strike killed two people while leaving one survivor. Officials said the U.S. Coast Guard was notified to begin search and rescue operations for the surviving individual.
Video released alongside the announcement showed a vessel traveling through the water before erupting into flames following the strike. In recent months, the U.S. military has increasingly focused on maritime interdictions, including operations targeting vessels linked to Venezuela, after the Trump administration launched a high-profile raid that resulted in Maduro being flown to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges.
With the latest strike, there have been 36 known attacks against alleged drug-smuggling boats in South American waters since early September, according to statements from the U.S. military and President Donald Trump. Those operations have resulted in at least 117 deaths, with the majority of strikes taking place in the Caribbean Sea.
The most recent prior strikes were reported in late December, when the military said it targeted five suspected drug-smuggling boats over a two-day period, killing eight people while others reportedly jumped overboard. Days later, the Coast Guard suspended its search efforts.
The United States conducted a major operation in Caracas on Jan. 3 that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife. Both were transported to New York, where they are expected to face federal drug trafficking charges.
Before his capture, Maduro claimed that U.S. military actions were a disguised effort to remove him from power.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the maritime strikes targeting alleged drug traffickers have significantly disrupted trafficking routes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific regions.
“We’ve stopped — virtually stopped almost 100% of all drugs coming in by water,” Trump said Thursday while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
