Overview
- U.S. Southern Command, which hit a suspected smuggling boat Tuesday in the Eastern Pacific, said three men were killed, a day after a Caribbean strike left two dead.
- SOUTHCOM posted brief videos of the blasts and said intelligence placed the boats on known trafficking routes, though it has not shown proof the vessels carried drugs.
- The latest attacks push independent media counts to about 190 people killed across roughly 56 strikes since September, with at least 15 survivors reported and many small boats destroyed.
- The administration says the operations target cartels it has designated as terrorist groups and labels the fight an armed conflict, while major rights groups and legal experts call the killings unlawful.
- Effectiveness claims are sharply disputed, with President Trump citing a 97% drop in sea-borne drugs as Pentagon testimony points to reductions closer to about 20% and Coast Guard seizures still occurring.