President Trump on Friday announced that three people, who he described as “male narcoterrorists,” were killed by a U.S. air strike while “trafficking illicit narcotics” in international waters around the Caribbean.
The attack is the third reported by American authorities against drug traffickers in the area, which they say have killed a total of 17 people.
Newsweek contacted the Department of War, formerly the Department of Defense, for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
The White House has vowed to crack down on drug smuggling into the U.S. with drug overdoses, particularly from opioids, killing around 105,000 people in the U.S. during 2023 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
However, critics have questioned the legality of Trump’s actions, with the Human Rights Watch watchdog arguing they “amount to extrajudicial killings.”
What To Know
Trump announced the strike via his Truth Social website on Friday, saying it was ordered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth against narcotrafficking by a “Designated Terrorist Organization” in the USSOUTHCOM (United States Southern Command) area of operations, which covers the Caribbean.
Following his second presidential inauguration in January 2025 Trump designated a number of drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Trump said the three “male narcoterrorists” who were on the boat were killed, who he said were “enroute to poision Americans” via a “known narcotrafficking passage.” He added there were no American casualties in the operation.
The president’s post was accompanied by video clips showing a speedboat traveling through the ocean, with one of the videos appearing to be infrared, before it was hit and destroyed by a large explosion.
Trump did not specify what evidence led U.S. authorities to conclude the targeted vessel was involved in drug smuggling.
President Donald Trump/Truth Social
The first U.S. strike targeting alleged drug traffickers was announced by Trump on September 2. He said a vessel that was in international waters having left Venezuela had been struck, killing 11 people.
Aerial footage of the strike was released by American authorities who said those targeted were members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua organized crime group.
Speaking to The New York Times a senior U.S. official said the strike was conducted by either an MQ-9 Reaper drone or an attack helicopter.
The president announced a second strike on September 15, also targeting what he said were drug smugglers from Venezuela in international waters, which he said killed three men.
What People Are Saying
In his Truth Social post Trump said: “On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans. The strike killed 3 male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel, which was in international waters. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!”
Andrew Harnik/Getty
Speaking before the third American strike Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said: “U.S. officials cannot summarily kill people they accuse of smuggling drugs. The problem of narcotics entering the U.S. is not an armed conflict, and U.S. officials cannot circumvent their human rights obligations by pretending otherwise.”
What Happens Next?
Given the Trump administration’s position, further strikes targeting alleged vessels smuggling drugs in international waters are probable, though it remains to be seen if the operation will be expanded to include land targets in South or Central America, which would be likely to spark concerns over sovereignty.
