US expands anti-narcotics strikes to Pacific Ocean, killing five in two operations VIDEO

The United States has carried out two additional military strikes against vessels allegedly involved in international drug trafficking, killing five individuals, officials confirmed.

For the first time, however, the targeted vessels were located not in the Caribbean Sea but in the Pacific Ocean—marking a significant expansion of the US campaign against narco-trafficking networks. The latest operations bring the total number of such strikes to at least nine, with a cumulative death toll now reaching 37, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the first of the two strikes took place on October 21, targeting a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean and resulting in the deaths of two men.

“Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters—and was the first strike at night. All six terrorists were killed and no US forces were harmed in this strike.

If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you,” Hegseth wrote on social media.

Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025

A video accompanying Hegseth’s post shows a missile hitting a small blue boat speeding across the water before erupting into flames.

Hours later, Hegseth announced a second strike on another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing three more individuals.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and was carrying narcotics,” Hegseth stated, though he did not provide supporting evidence.

The operations signal an escalation of President Donald Trump’s expanding military campaign against Latin American cartels—raising growing legal and political questions over the scope of his authority.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on October 22, Trump defended the strikes, asserting that he required no authorization beyond his role as commander-in-chief to order missile attacks in international waters.

“We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when we come to the land. We don’t have to do that,” Trump said, turning to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “But I think, Marco, I’d like to do that.”

Under the US Constitution, Congress holds the exclusive power to authorize military action. However, Trump has maintained that his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief extends to confronting what he has described as “terrorist threats”—a category he claims includes international drug traffickers.

By Vafa Guliyeva