U.S. Military Conducts Strike on Alleged Drug Smuggling Boat

The United States military performed another strike on Friday targeting a boat suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This operation resulted in the death of three men, marking the third such attack this week and increasing the total number of deaths from these strikes to over 200.

The U.S. Southern Command, responsible for military operations in Latin America south of Mexico and the Caribbean, announced the latest strike as part of a long-standing campaign against boats involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. The military claimed the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and linked to a designated terrorist group, although no evidence was provided.

This is the first time video footage of the attack is available in color rather than black and white. The video displays a small boat in the ocean, subsequently enveloped in a fireball. Following the explosion, the video cuts to show the boat in flames, with numerous parcels or objects spread in the surrounding water.

Unclassified footage of a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on May 29, 2026, which the U.S. military said killed three people.

The U.S. Southern Command reported on social media platform X that Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S. commander in Latin America, authorized the strike. On the same day, Gen. Donovan met with Cuban military leaders near the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay.

This strike raises the overall death toll to at least 202 since the series of U.S. strikes began in early September. Two other attacks were announced earlier this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Trump administration has claimed that the U.S. is engaged in armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, holding them responsible for drug influxes into American communities.

The death toll increased slightly as some individuals initially reported as survivors by the U.S. military were not found. The legality of these boat strikes faces scrutiny from experts. The White House confirmed a report by the Washington Post stating that during the first attack on September 2, a follow-up strike was conducted, killing two survivors from the initial attack. Some lawmakers have raised concerns about whether this follow-up strike could be classified as a war crime.