The US military said it struck and sank a vessel it alleges was linked to drug trafficking in Caribbean waters near Venezuela, killing three people during the operation, the US Southern Command said on social media.
The action, carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear on February 13, targeted the vessel as it transited established narcotics trafficking routes in international waters. Southern Command described those killed as “narco‑terrorists” and confirmed no US forces were harmed in the strike.
The deadly maritime strike is part of an ongoing series of operations by the Southern Command that Washington says are aimed at disrupting organised crime and narcotics networks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Since early September 2025, similar strikes have been conducted against boats allegedly operated by drug trafficking organisations, bringing the total death toll in the campaign to at least 133.
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The United States has increasingly framed the campaign — dubbed Operation Southern Spear — as part of a broader security effort in the region. US officials have justified the strikes by alleging the vessels were involved in illicit smuggling activities that threaten US interests. However, critics and human rights advocates have raised questions about the legal basis for these lethal actions and the lack of publicly provided evidence linking targeted boats to criminal operations.
The strike occurred amid a wider heightening of US military presence in the Caribbean following the controversial January 3 operation that led to the capture of Venezuela’s former president, Nicolás Maduro, who was then flown to the United States on drug‑related charges. Despite that escalation, US military leaders have said operations in international waters remain focused on counter‑narcotics objectives rather than broader combat.
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The latest attack underscores growing regional tensions around US maritime operations and counter‑drug strategies. Venezuela and other critics have previously characterised similar strikes as disproportionate or extrajudicial, while US commanders maintain the approach is necessary to curb drug flows and organised crime networks that exploit maritime routes.