Video: US Launches Deadliest Strike On Three Alleged Drug Boats, 11 Killed

The United States military said it carried out strikes on three vessels accused of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea on Monday, killing 11 people.

The action marks one of the deadliest days in the Trump administration’s campaign targeting what it describes as “narco-terrorists” operating along maritime trafficking routes.

According to US Southern Command, four men were killed on one vessel in the eastern Pacific, four on a second vessel in the same region, and three on a third boat in the Caribbean.

The command stated that no US military personnel were injured during the operations.

The latest strikes bring the reported death toll from the campaign to at least 145 since September, when President Donald Trump directed US armed forces to take action against individuals deemed to be involved in maritime drug trafficking.

In total, 42 strikes have been carried out along known trafficking corridors in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

US Southern Command said intelligence assessments had identified the vessels as operating along established narcotics routes and engaged in trafficking activities.

The military released video footage on social media showing small boats being destroyed. The footage did not provide independent evidence of narcotics on board.

Late on Feb. 16, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted three lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/mib9XtptSB

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) February 17, 2026

The administration has described the operations as part of an armed conflict with Latin American cartels and has justified the use of military force as a measure to curb the flow of drugs into the United States.

Critics have argued that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings in the absence of a declared, congressionally authorised war.

Advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America stated in a recent analysis that those targeted at sea were denied due process.

The strikes follow a US military build-up in Latin America.

Earlier this year, American forces conducted a raid that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to the United States to face drug trafficking, weapons and narco-terrorism charges.

As part of the regional deployment, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and accompanying destroyers were previously positioned in the Caribbean before being redeployed towards the Middle East.

The carrier is expected to join other US naval assets in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln.

US forces have also reported seizing oil tankers connected with Venezuela as part of measures linked to the administration’s policy objectives in the region.

References: theguardian, scmp

Source: Maritime Shipping News