Two dead in US strike on alleged drug-smuggling vessel in Pacific

This screen grab obtained from a video released by the US Central Command on their X account @CENTCOM on March 20, 2026 shows a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US forces carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, leaving three survivors, the US military said on March 20. The strike the previous day hit a "low profile vessel (that) was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X. Despite describing it as a "lethal kinetic strike," SOUTHCOM did not provide a death toll, saying only that the Coast Guard was "immediately" notified to search for the three survivors.

Asked about the apparent discrepancy, SOUTHCOM said it had "nothing further to add." (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP) International News, Latest News March 20, 2026 Two dead in US strike on alleged drug-smuggling vessel in Pacific WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—United States (US) forces carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, leaving two people dead and a survivor who was rescued, officials said on Friday.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the Thursday strike in a post on X the following day, saying it hit a “low-profile vessel (that) was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” SOUTHCOM described the strike as “lethal” but did not give a death toll, saying only that the Coast Guard was “immediately” notified to search for three survivors. A Coast Guard spokesperson later said the services was “notified by SOUTHCOM of a report of three individuals in distress in the Pacific Ocean.”

A Coast Guard cutter “arrived on scene and recovered two deceased individuals and one survivor from the water,” the spokesperson said, adding that it “transferred all persons to the Costa Rican Coast Guard.” The United States began targeting alleged smuggling boats in early September and the latest strike brings the death toll from the campaign to nearly 160. President Donald Trump’s administration insists it is effectively at war with what it calls “narco-terrorists” operating in Latin America.

But it has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations. International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States. Washington has deployed a large force in the Caribbean, where its forces have in recent months struck alleged drug-smuggling boats, seized oil tankers and carried out a stunning raid on the Venezuelan capital to capture leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.