US military says 2 strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific
December 18, 2025
The U.S. military says that it conducted two more strikes Thursday against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people. U.S. Southern Command posted that the vessels “were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence. It posted videos of each boat speeding through water before being struck by an explosion. The military said three people in one vessel and two in the other were killed. The attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 28 while at least 104 people have been killed.