The U.S. military announced on Friday that it had conducted a lethal strike on a vessel suspected of engaging in drug trafficking activities in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This operation marked the first known attack following the recent mission that apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. Southern Command shared on social media that the targeted boat was involved in narco-trafficking operations, resulting in the death of two individuals and one survivor. The command informed the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate search and rescue efforts for the survivor.
A video attached to the post depicted the vessel navigating through the water before erupting into flames.
In recent times, the U.S. military has been actively seizing sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela, following the high-profile raid to capture Maduro for alleged drug trafficking charges.
Since early September, there have been 36 reported strikes on suspected drug smuggling vessels in South American waters, resulting in the deaths of at least 117 individuals. The majority of these strikes took place in the Caribbean Sea.
The most recent boat strikes occurred in late December, where five alleged drug-smuggling boats were targeted over a span of two days, leading to the fatalities of eight individuals. Subsequently, the Coast Guard halted its search operations.
On January 3, a significant operation in Caracas led to the apprehension of Maduro and his spouse, who were transported to New York to face federal charges related to drug trafficking. Maduro had criticized the U.S. military activities as an attempt to remove him from power.
U.S. President Donald Trump has emphasized the effectiveness of the military strikes in disrupting drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Trump stated at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the U.S. has significantly curtailed the influx of drugs via water routes.