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The US military destroyed a suspected narco-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two men aboard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump-ordered strike was part of a wider anti-cartel campaign.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. (File Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 5, 2025 07:00 IST
The US military destroyed a suspected narco-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two men aboard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump-ordered strike was part of a wider anti-cartel campaign.
The US military carried out a deadly strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in international waters of the Eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing two men aboard, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.
“Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth said in a post on X.
Hegseth’s post included an 18-second video showing a small boat gliding across open water before being hit and erupting into flames.
Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO).
Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known pic.twitter.com/OsQuHrYLMp— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 5, 2025
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth wrote. He added that no US forces were harmed in the operation.
The defense chief called the strike part of a broader campaign against narco-terror networks and vowed more such operations would follow.
“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth said. “Protecting the homeland is our TOP priority. NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military.”
The operation marks the latest show of force in the Trump administration’s expanded counter-narcotics campaign, which has increasingly relied on military strikes in international waters to target suspected traffickers.
Hegseth credited the intelligence community for identifying the vessel and confirming its link to a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). The Pentagon has not released the name of the group or the type of narcotics believed to be onboard.
The strike, conducted under Trump’s direction, signals a more aggressive US posture at sea, extending the war on drugs far beyond American shores.
- Ends
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Nov 5, 2025
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