A suspected drug-smuggling vessel was wiped out in a lethal U.S.military strike Wednesday in the Eastern Pacific, killing three alleged "narco-terrorists" aboard, according to the Department of War.Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out the Sept.
9 strike under the direction of U.S.Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) after intelligence allegedly tied the vessel to drug trafficking."Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking," the department said in a post on X.
"The operation killed three narco-terrorists."WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS 'STEEPEST' EVER DECLINE IN US CASUALTIES FROM CARTELS AMID BOAT STRIKESThe operation marked the latest U.S.attack on suspected cartel vessels accused of moving deadly narcotics along known trafficking routes off the coast of Latin America.It came less than two weeks after the Pentagon released newly unclassified images to Fox News Digital showing suspected drug boats speeding across open water, including one vessel loaded with what appeared to be bundles of narcotics.The images, dated Oct.
27, Oct.29 and Dec.
4, 2025, offered a rare look at suspected smugglers under U.S.military surveillance as the Trump administration intensified its campaign against cartel networks.EXCLUSIVE: FENTANYL DEATHS PLUNGE 22% AS TRUMP WHITE HOUSE TOUTS CRACKDOWN ON DEADLY DRUG CRISISAn unclassified Pentagon image dated Oct.
29, 2025, shows a suspected drug-smuggling boat at sea.(Department of War)An unclassified Pentagon image dated Oct.
27, 2025, shows a suspected drug-smuggling vessel carrying apparent packages at sea.(Department of War)An unclassified Pentagon image dated Dec.
4, 2025, shows a suspected drug-smuggling vessel carrying apparent packages at sea.(Department of War)Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson accompanied the release with a deadly warning for traffickers who threaten American communities."Nearly one year after the first strike, the message to narco-terrorists remains unchanged: if you t...