US airstrike kills three on alleged drug‑smuggling speedboat in Eastern Pacific

U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a speedboat in the eastern Pacific on June 18, saying the vessel was being used to transport narcotics. The operation resulted in the deaths of three male individuals, described by the U.S. military as “drug traffickers.”

The strike is part of a campaign that began in September 2025 targeting speedboats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, which U.S. officials label a war against drug‑cartel trafficking from Latin America to the United States. According to the command, more than 200 people have been killed in similar operations to date. The legality of these strikes in international waters has been questioned by experts, NGOs and UN officials, who characterize them as extrajudicial killings.

The U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, has repeatedly labeled certain Latin‑American criminal groups as “terrorist organizations,” though it has not provided public evidence that the targeted vessels were engaged in illegal activity.