On Monday, October 27, 2025, the U.S. military launched a dramatic series of strikes on four vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, targeting what officials described as narcotics-trafficking boats operated by designated terrorist organizations. According to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the operation resulted in the deaths of 14 alleged drug traffickers, leaving just one survivor. The strikes, announced by Hegseth on X (formerly Twitter) and later confirmed by multiple sources including Reuters, CNN, and NBC News, mark an escalation in President Donald Trump’s campaign against transnational criminal organizations and narcoterrorism.
"The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics," Hegseth stated. He further detailed, "Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed."
The strikes were carried out in three separate attacks, one of which reportedly hit two boats simultaneously. The survivor’s fate quickly became a matter of international coordination. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed during a Tuesday morning news conference that the strike occurred in international waters and that the Mexican Navy had assumed responsibility for the search and rescue operation. The Mexican Navy, in a statement cited by Reuters, said it was “conducting a maritime search and rescue operation 400 miles southwest of Acapulco” at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard. Sheinbaum added, "We want all international treaties to be respected. We do not agree with these kinds of attacks, so I have requested that, within the framework of the security agreement we have with the United States, the ambassador be called in and that this situation be reviewed."
Monday’s events are part of a broader, rapidly intensifying U.S. military effort. Since early September 2025, there have been 13 known strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels, destroying 14 boats and killing 57 people, with just three survivors, according to CNN. The campaign, which began with strikes in the Caribbean Sea, has now expanded into the eastern Pacific. The most recent strike before Monday took place in the Caribbean just days earlier.
President Trump, currently on a multiday trip in Asia, made his intentions clear last week, telling reporters, "I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We're going to kill them. You know? They're going to be like, dead." He also hinted at possible escalation, stating, "We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. We're totally prepared to do that. And we'll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we're doing when we come to the land." According to NBC News, U.S. military officials have been preparing options to target traffickers inside Venezuela, with strikes potentially just weeks away.
The administration’s legal justification for these lethal operations has drawn widespread scrutiny. CNN reported that the Trump administration produced a classified legal opinion treating drug traffickers as enemy combatants, allowing them to be summarily killed without judicial review. This approach, while intended to treat drug traffickers with the same severity as terrorist organizations, has raised red flags among lawmakers and legal experts alike.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, was blunt in his criticism, calling the military airstrikes on the boats "extrajudicial killings." On Fox News Sunday, he stated, "I’ve been invited to no briefing, but a briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it." Democratic lawmakers have also raised concerns, with Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a Marine Corps veteran, describing the strikes as "murder." He argued, "If this president feels that they’re doing something illegally, then he should be using the Coast Guard. If there’s an act of war, then you use our military, and then you come and talk to us first. But this is murder."
Some legal experts have questioned why the U.S. military, rather than the Coast Guard, has been tasked with these operations, especially since the Coast Guard is the main U.S. maritime law enforcement agency. Others have asked why non-lethal options were not pursued before resorting to deadly force. The Pentagon has remained largely silent on key details, including the identities of those killed and the quantities of drugs allegedly carried by the targeted vessels.
The U.S. military’s presence in the region is growing. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, previously stationed in the Mediterranean, has been ordered to relocate to the Caribbean. According to Reuters, this buildup includes guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of troops. The carrier group is expected to reach the region in the coming weeks, signaling a further escalation in the counter-narcotics campaign.
Meanwhile, the strikes have heightened tensions with neighboring countries. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly accused the U.S. of seeking to drive him from power. In August, Washington doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups—allegations Maduro denies. The situation has also complicated relations with Colombia and Ecuador, especially after earlier strikes resulted in survivors being repatriated to these countries.
Despite the administration’s insistence on the necessity and legality of the strikes, bipartisan concerns about transparency and oversight persist. Six sources told NBC News that members of Congress from both parties have expressed frustration over the lack of information provided about the strikes. The White House has promised to brief Congress, but President Trump has said he will not seek a formal declaration of war.
As the U.S. continues its campaign against drug-trafficking organizations, questions about international law, congressional authority, and the long-term effectiveness of such military actions remain unanswered. For now, the strikes in the eastern Pacific serve as a stark reminder of the Trump administration’s willingness to use lethal force far from American shores—and the growing debate at home and abroad over how, and whether, such power should be wielded.
