The Pentagon is seen from an airplane, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
WASHINGTON — On Sunday, the U.S. military reported the destruction of two boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The incident resulted in five fatalities and one survivor, as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to combat alleged traffickers in Latin America and to prepare for a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Saturday’s attacks increase the death toll from U.S. military boat strikes to at least 168 since September when the Trump administration began targeting what it terms “narcoterrorists.” As with previous operations in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, the U.S. Southern Command stated the targets were drug traffickers using known smuggling routes. No evidence was provided that the boats carried drugs, although videos on X showed small vessels being engulfed in explosions.
The U.S. Southern Command announced on X that the U.S. Coast Guard had been alerted to initiate a search-and-rescue operation for the lone survivor. The Coast Guard confirmed its involvement in the search and promised updates as they become available.
President Donald Trump has claimed the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels, justifying the strikes as necessary to curb drug flow into the U.S. and reduce fatal overdoses. However, the administration has provided little proof of eliminating “narcoterrorists.”
Critics have raised legal concerns about the boat strikes and questioned their effectiveness, noting that fentanyl, a major cause of overdoses, typically enters the U.S. overland from Mexico, with its production involving chemicals from China and India.
Despite the U.S. military’s focus on Middle Eastern operations, where a conflict with Iran unfolded over several weeks, the boat strikes have persisted in Latin America.
On Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would start a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan concluded without a resolution. Trump’s objective is to diminish Iran’s strategic leverage by demanding the reopening of the vital waterway, which facilitates the passage of 20% of the world’s oil. According to U.S. Central Command, the blockade will target Iranian ports.
