The U.S. military's campaign of boat strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean has now resulted in at least 170 fatalities since its inception in early September, with the latest incident on Monday adding two more to the toll. Despite the escalating death count, the military has consistently failed to provide evidence that the vessels targeted were actually ferrying drugs, raising critical questions about the justification for these unilateral actions in Latin American waters. This ongoing operation, which has persisted for more than seven months, continues even as the military is reportedly preoccupied with the Iran war.
On Monday, the U.S. Southern Command announced another strike, killing two people. This followed a Sunday announcement from the same command, detailing the destruction of two boats in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, which resulted in five deaths and left one survivor. The fate of that individual remains unclear.
Unverified Casualties Mount
The U.S. Southern Command has repeatedly stated its objective is to target alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. However, for the vessel involved in Monday's strike, as with others, the military did not provide evidence to substantiate its claim that the boat was ferrying drugs. A video posted by the military on X showed a small boat in the water before a large explosion and subsequent smoke, but offered no visual confirmation of illicit cargo.
This campaign of attacks began months before the U.S. raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was subsequently brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The connection between these widespread strikes and high-profile arrests like Maduro's remains a point of contention, particularly given the consistent lack of evidence for the majority of vessels targeted.
Elite Justifications and Missing Evidence
President Donald Trump has publicly characterized the U.S. involvement as an "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America. He has justified these aggressive attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and combat fatal overdoses that are claiming American lives. This framing positions the military's actions as a defense of the native population against a transnational threat. However, the Trump administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing "narcoterrorists" in these operations. The focus on the alleged benefit to the American populace contrasts sharply with the unverified nature of the targets and the mounting death toll among those caught in the crossfire.
The ongoing military engagement in Latin American waters, conducted without transparent accountability for each strike, underscores a broader pattern of elite directives that bypass traditional legal frameworks. The assertion of an "armed conflict" provides a broad mandate for actions that impact the sovereignty of nations in the region and the lives of individuals, many of whom are not proven to be involved in drug trafficking.
Expanding the 'System of Kill'
The scope of this unilateral force was further highlighted by President Trump's recent statements. On Monday, he appeared to reference the tactic of boat strikes in Latin America while issuing new threats against Tehran, as a blockade of Iranian ports took effect. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared, "Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea." This statement reveals a willingness to apply the same unverified "system of kill" used in the eastern Pacific to other geopolitical contexts, signaling an expansion of unilateral military action under the guise of national security, without the burden of proof for each target. The implications for international law and the self-determination of sovereign peoples are profound.