The United States has carried out attacks on four more suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday, killing 14 people.
“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the War Department conducted three lethal kinetic strikes against four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTOs) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.” Hegseth wrote inwhere he published a video of the strikes.
The latest action brings the total number of people believed to have been killed to more than 50.
According to Hegseth, there was one survivor of Monday’s round of attacks.
“With respect to the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated standard Search and Rescue (SAR) protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue,” he wrote in X.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is seen in the Oval Office of the White House as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte meets with President Donald Trump in Washington, October 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
The strikes are part of what the government has called its “war” against drug cartels. The US military has already attacked 10 suspected drug trafficking ships in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. However, the use of deadly force has raised several legal questions.
In addition to the strikes, last week the United States ordered the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and its accompanying aircraft to the waters around Central and South America, a move designed to increase pressure against the Venezuelan government.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
