For the first time, the United States has carried out a direct strike against a drug cartel boat in the Pacific Ocean, according to an announcement made by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
According to Hegseth, the attack was carried out under direct instructions from President Donald Trump and is part of a new, expanded strategy to combat international drug trafficking. U.S. authorities now officially classify major cartels as “terrorist organizations.”
The vessel, identified as belonging to a group involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, was destroyed in international waters. Two traffickers were on board at the time of the operation and were killed in the strike.
The weapon used has not been officially identified, but military sources suggest it could have been a high-precision Hellfire missile or a laser-guided bomb, possibly launched from a drone.
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New anti-narcotics policy
The incident comes just weeks after the U.S. Army destroyed a drug-smuggling submarine in the Caribbean Sea that was heading toward the American continent. On October 3, U.S. forces had already confirmed the elimination of four drug-running vessels in the same region.
The U.S. government says these operations are part of a more aggressive strategy to combat maritime drug trafficking and the groups involved. According to the Pentagon, all actions occur in areas of international jurisdiction and target organizations that “poison the American people with illicit drugs.”
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
The vessel was known by our intelligence to be… pic.twitter.com/BayDhUZ4Ac
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 22, 2025
Controversy and criticism
Despite support from parts of the American public, the policy faces criticism. Analysts and legal experts warn of possible legal and ethical implications stemming from the use of military force against non-state groups designated as terrorists.
The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have called on the Pentagon to provide a formal and transparent justification for these actions, which mark a major shift in Washington’s approach to international drug trafficking.
Source and images: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth | X @SecWar. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
