MIAMI, Fla. — A U.S. SOUTHCOM lethal strike in the Eastern Pacific killed two people aboard a vessel the U.S. military said was tied to narco-trafficking routes and operated by designated terrorist organizations, U.S. Southern Command said Feb. 9. The command said one person survived.
Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out what it described as a lethal kinetic strike at the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan. The command said intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in trafficking operations.
The command did not identify the vessel, disclose where in the Eastern Pacific the strike occurred, or name the organization or organizations referenced in its statement. It also did not release details about the survivor’s identity, nationality, or condition.
Coast Guard notified after U.S. SOUTHCOM lethal strike
Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard following the engagement so search-and-rescue procedures could be activated for the survivor. The command did not say whether the survivor had been recovered or provide an update on medical condition.
The statement did not report a narcotics seizure linked to the incident and did not describe what system was used to carry out the strike. It also did not indicate whether any additional suspects were being sought.
The Eastern Pacific is a major maritime corridor for cocaine and other illicit drugs moving toward Central America and beyond, and enforcement pressure there can shift trafficking patterns across the wider region, including routes that affect Caribbean waters. The Feb. 9 strike follows earlier U.S. operations in the Eastern Pacific against suspected drug-running vessels, including a previous attack on a suspected drug boat.
