April 19, 2026 — The U.S. military said Sunday it struck a vessel in the Caribbean Sea it accused of carrying illegal drugs, killing three people.
The operation is part of a wider campaign that began in early September, when the administration started targeting suspected drug-smuggling boats in Latin American waters. That effort, which has also included strikes in the eastern Pacific, has been tied to at least 54 vessels and has reportedly killed at least 181 people, according to tallies associated with the campaign.
Even as conflicts in the Middle East continue, the strikes have picked up again in the last week, highlighting the administration’s ongoing effort to combat what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. military officials have not released public evidence that the vessels struck were carrying drugs.
A spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command told CBS News, “For operational security reasons, we cannot discuss specific sources or methods.”
Officials say the campaign coincided with a significant buildup of U.S. forces in the region — described by some as the largest military presence there in generations — and preceded a January raid that led to the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was taken to New York on drug-trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.
In describing Sunday’s action, Southern Command said the target was suspected traffickers moving along known smuggling routes and posted a video on X showing a small boat underway before a large explosion consumed it.
President Trump has framed the effort as part of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and defended the strikes as necessary to stem drug flows and reduce overdose deaths. Critics, however, have raised legal concerns and faulted the administration for providing little public proof that those killed were “narcoterrorists.”