WASHINGTON – The US military carried out a precision strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in international waters of the Eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing two men on board, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In a post on the social media platform X, Hegseth said that intelligence confirmed the vessel’s involvement in illicit narcotics trafficking, adding that it was transiting along a known narco-smuggling route and carrying illegal drugs.
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“The strike was conducted after thorough surveillance confirmed the vessel’s activities,” Hegseth stated, emphasizing that the operation was part of the US effort to curb international drug trafficking networks operating across the Pacific. Hegseth also shared an 18-second video clip showing a small boat moving across open waters before being hit by a missile and bursting into flames, leaving behind debris scattered across the sea.
The Pentagon has not yet released details regarding the origin of the vessel, the identities of the two men, or the type of narcotics believed to be on board. However, defense officials described the mission as a “targeted counter-narcotics strike” conducted under international maritime law.
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The incident marks one of the latest escalations in US efforts to intercept drug shipments moving through the Pacific, a route increasingly used by organized crime syndicates to smuggle cocaine and synthetic drugs toward North America.