At least three individuals were immediately killed, with others left marooned in international waters
The United States has destroyed three suspected narco-trafficking vessels traveling in a convoy in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of multiple individuals on board, as part of Washington’s escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela.
The most recent lethal “kinetic strike” took place in international waters on December 30, according to an announcement by the US Southern Command on Wednesday. The Pentagon stated that before the strikes, US intelligence agencies “verified that the vessels were moving along recognized narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics among the three vessels.”
“Three narco-terrorists on the first vessel were killed during the initial engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists deserted the other two vessels, jumping into the water and moving away before subsequent engagements sank their respective ships,” it noted.
The Pentagon indicated it “promptly notified” the US Coast Guard to initiate a search and rescue mission, though the status of those left stranded remains uncertain.
These latest strikes bring the total number of known vessels destroyed to 33 and the number of fatalities to at least 110 since early September, when the US initiated Operation Southern Spear.
The “anti-drug” campaign initiated by US President Donald Trump has faced international criticism regarding the use of lethal force in international waters without a proper legal foundation, which UN experts have stated could amount to “extrajudicial executions.”
In November, the US labeled the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, claiming ties to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro—a charge dismissed by Caracas.
In December, Trump took additional steps by designating the Venezuelan government itself as a foreign terrorist organization and ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting the country.
Maduro has denounced the blockade as unlawful under international law and has accused Washington of using the “war on drugs” as a pretense for a regime change operation aimed at seizing Venezuela’s natural resources.
Trump had also authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations within Venezuela—and the agency is reported to have carried out a secret drone strike against what the US president referred to as a “large facility” around Christmas.