The U.S. military launched a deadly strike Saturday against a vessel in the Caribbean that officials said was being used for drug trafficking, killing four people identified by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) as suspected “narco-terrorists.”
SOUTHCOM said the operation took place Sept. 19 under its direction, with the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere targeting a high-speed “go-fast” boat traveling along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.
According to the command, intelligence confirmed that the vessel was actively engaged in drug trafficking.
Four suspected “narco-terrorists” were killed in the U.S. military operation, SOUTHCOM said.
Footage released by U.S. Southern Command shows a suspected drug-trafficking vessel bursting into flames after being struck by the U.S. military in the Caribbean. (U.S. Southern Command)
The latest attack is part of a months-long Trump administration effort to disrupt trafficking operations allegedly connected to powerful criminal cartels.
In recent months, SOUTHCOM has reported dozens of strikes against vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean that it says were linked to “narco-terrorist” activity.
The military previously reported a Sept. 9 strike on another vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking. That operation left three people dead, according to officials.
Before the attack, the high-speed boat was traveling along established drug-trafficking routes in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command. (U.S. Southern Command)
With Saturday’s action included, the administration’s campaign against suspected cartel vessels has been linked to at least 231 deaths across at least 69 reported strikes over approximately a year.
Video from the latest operation shows the vessel speeding across the water before a powerful explosion engulfs it in a towering fireball.
SOUTHCOM has also published footage in recent weeks showing U.S. forces intercepting and boarding boats suspected of drug trafficking, removing their crews and later sinking the vessels.
A suspected drug-trafficking vessel burns after a deadly U.S. military strike in the Caribbean on Sept. 19. (U.S. Southern Command)
Several of the operations recently publicized by SOUTHCOM have focused on boats allegedly connected to Los Choneros, a group the military has labeled a violent “narco-terrorist” organization.
