U.S. Strike Kills 4 in Caribbean Drug Boat Attack

The U.S. military attacked a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, killing four people, U.S. Southern Command said, as the Trump administration continues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

The strike brings the death toll from U.S. boat attacks to at least 227 people across 68 strikes since the administration began targeting what it calls "narcoterrorists" nearly a year ago. Southern Command said, as it has in most previous statements, that the vessel was targeted along a known smuggling route.

The military did not provide evidence that the boat was carrying drugs, but said on X that "confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking." A video posted alongside the statement showed what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.

Tuesday's attack came two days after another U.S. military strike targeting people accused of drug trafficking, following a pause of more than two months in the campaign.

The administration is pursuing agreements with allied governments to expand the offensive onto land in multiple Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama this month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to let the U.S. conduct joint military operations against criminal groups within their borders. Guatemala has denied reaching such an agreement. Ecuador began similar joint missions with the U.S. in March.

President Trump has said the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America, framing the strikes as necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and the overdose deaths of Americans. His administration has offered little evidence to support its claims that those killed were smugglers.