February 5, 2026 / 10:12 PM EST / CBS News
The U.S. military struck an alleged drug-carrying boat in the eastern Pacific on Thursday, the 38th vessel hit over the past five months in Latin American waters and the second this year. U.S. Southern Command said two people were killed and posted on X that intelligence indicated the boat was operated by a designated terrorist organization and was traveling along known narco-trafficking routes. The command released a brief unclassified video showing a boat exploding and burning.
Since early September, the military has conducted 36 airstrikes against at least 38 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, actions that U.S. officials say have killed at least 128 people. The tempo of strikes has slowed considerably since Jan. 3, when U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — an operation the Trump administration says exposed ties between Maduro and drug trafficking groups. Only two vessels have been struck since that capture: one in the Pacific on Jan. 23 and Thursday’s strike.
The Trump administration argues the strikes are necessary to disrupt narcotics trafficking and has told Congress the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, characterizing the crews of these boats as “unlawful combatants.” Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, contend the strikes lack legal justification and that the administration has not provided sufficient evidence the targeted boats were en route to the United States with drugs.
Last year’s revelations that two survivors of the campaign’s first strike on Sept. 2 were killed in a follow-on attack drew heavy criticism from opponents of the program. Congressional Democrats have also objected to the broader U.S. military buildup near Central and South America — including the reopening of a naval base in Puerto Rico and operations related to Maduro’s capture — noting that Congress has not authorized the use of military force.
The administration maintains the operations are lawful and do not require congressional approval. Democrats have introduced resolutions intended to limit U.S. military activity in the region, but those measures have not passed.