Watch: US military shares video of kinetic strike on alleged drug boat in Eastern Pacific; two dead

The US military has released footage of a recent strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, stating that the boat was operating along what it described as “known narco-trafficking routes.” According to US officials, the strike resulted in the deaths of two individuals identified as “narco-terrorists,” while one person survived the incident.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) shared the video on X, noting that the operation was carried out on February 9 under the direction of Commander Gen Francis L Donovan. In its statement, SOUTHCOM said, "On Feb. 9, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen Francis L Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations."




While two were killed in the strike, one person survived, and the US Southcom added that the US coast guard were notified to activate the search and rescue system for the survivor. Following the strike, US authorities said they had taken immediate steps to assist the surviving individual. Southcom stated, "Two narco-terrorists were killed, and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.

The operation marks the third reported US strike targeting suspected drug vessels since the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has previously claimed that such actions form part of a broader US pressure campaign directed at Venezuela’s leftist government, an allegation Washington has not endorsed.

According to available figures, the United States has conducted 38 strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats as part of an expanding counter-narcotics effort that has gradually extended from the Caribbean into the Pacific region.

These operations have reportedly resulted in at least 130 deaths so far, underscoring the growing scale and intensity of US maritime anti-drug operations in the region.