On a tense Tuesday, November 4, 2025, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood before reporters in Seoul and announced the latest in a string of lethal military strikes: a deadly attack on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The strike killed two people aboard, marking the 16th such incident in South American waters under the Trump administration and pushing the death toll to at least 66, according to figures cited by AP and NPR.
This campaign, which began in early September, has seen the destruction of 17 vessels—16 boats and a submersible—and a mounting U.S. military presence in Latin America. The operation has been justified by President Donald Trump, who claims the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with drug cartels, asserting that these boats are operated by foreign terror organizations. Yet, as reported by BBC and The Guardian, the administration has not provided concrete evidence or further details to support these claims.
"We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens," Hegseth declared, echoing the administration’s hardline stance. He shared a video on social media showing the dramatic moment: a boat, its shape obscured by a gray box, floating in the water before being struck and engulfed in flames. Hegseth said intelligence confirmed the vessel was "involved in illicit narcotics smuggling" and was "transiting along a known narco-trafficking route...carrying narcotics." The message was clear—no mercy for suspected traffickers.
But the operation’s legal and moral underpinnings have drawn scrutiny from across the political spectrum. Lawmakers from both parties have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for these extrajudicial strikes, especially since Congress has not authorized military action against drug cartels. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk last week called on the U.S. to halt the attacks and "prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats," as reported by NPR.
The strikes are just one part of a much broader military escalation. On the same day as the latest attack, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier left the Mediterranean Sea, heading for the Caribbean to join a growing armada of American planes, ships, and thousands of troops now stationed in Latin America. The Ford, accompanied by the destroyer USS Bainbridge, crossed through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Atlantic. While the Ford originally deployed with five destroyers, it remains unclear if all will head to the Caribbean. Two, the USS Winston Churchill and USS Mahan, are still in the Mediterranean (with the Mahan docked at Rota, Spain), while the USS Forrest Sherman and USS Mitchener are currently in the Red Sea, according to a defense official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
This robust military buildup, which also includes F-35 stealth warplanes, has stoked tensions across the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces indictment in the U.S. on drug charges, has accused Washington of "fabricating" a war against him. He insists that Venezuela is not a producer of drugs but is being used as a transit route for Colombian cocaine, a claim reported by AFP. Maduro contends that the U.S. is using the drug war as an excuse to impose regime change and seize Venezuela’s oil. "Washington is fabricating a war against me," Maduro declared, as quoted by NPR and AFP.
As the military campaign has escalated, so too have diplomatic concerns. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has offered to mediate between the U.S. and Venezuela, expressing hope that there would be no American ground incursion into Venezuelan territory. This sentiment reflects a broader regional unease about the implications of the U.S. operation, which many fear could spiral into a larger conflict.
President Trump, for his part, has sent mixed signals about the possibility of war with Venezuela. In a CBS "60 Minutes" interview aired Sunday, November 3, 2025, he was asked directly if the U.S. was going to war with Venezuela. "I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly, not only on drugs," Trump replied. When pressed on whether Maduro’s days were numbered, Trump answered, "I would say yeah. I think so, yeah." However, he stopped short of confirming any plans for land strikes in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has formally notified Congress that the U.S. is engaged in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, labeling them terrorist groups. The move has sparked debate in Washington, with lawmakers demanding more transparency and questioning the administration’s legal rationale for conducting lethal strikes without explicit congressional approval. The lack of public evidence tying the destroyed vessels to terrorist organizations or imminent threats has only fueled the controversy.
Internationally, the U.S. campaign has prompted concern about the precedent it sets for military action against non-state actors. The United Nations’ top human rights official has warned that the strikes may constitute extrajudicial killings, and regional leaders worry about the broader ramifications for sovereignty and stability in Latin America.
For now, the U.S. continues to expand its military footprint in the region. The Ford carrier strike group’s movement toward the Caribbean signals that the Trump administration is not backing down. As Hegseth put it, the priority remains "the protection of the homeland." But with every new strike, the questions grow louder: How far will the U.S. go in its campaign against drug cartels? And what are the long-term consequences for Latin America and U.S. foreign policy?
As the world watches, the answer to those questions remains uncertain. What is clear is that the U.S. war on drugs in the region has entered a new and potentially volatile phase, with high stakes for all involved.
