The US military carried out lethal strikes on three suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific on Monday, December 15, killing eight people, according to US Southern Command.
The operation was authorised by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and executed by Joint Task Force Southern Spear in international waters. SOUTHCOM said the vessels were linked to designated terrorist organisations and were travelling along known narco-trafficking routes while actively engaged in smuggling.
The strikes are part of the Trump administration’s Operation Southern Spear, which treats major drug cartels as military targets rather than criminal networks. Since the campaign began on September 2, 2025, at least 95 people have been killed. The previous strike occurred on December 4, when four people died aboard another suspected drug vessel.
The administration says the strategy is aimed at dismantling the networks blamed for the fentanyl crisis in the United States. It has formally notified Congress that the US is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, a classification that allows those killed to be labelled “unlawful combatants.” A classified Justice Department finding reportedly authorises such strikes without judicial review.
The approach has triggered serious legal and political backlash. Legal experts and some Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about possible war crimes, pointing to earlier strikes that allegedly included follow-up attacks to eliminate survivors.
In response, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an all-senators briefing scheduled for Tuesday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expected to address oversight concerns.
The military actions are unfolding alongside a broader pressure campaign against Venezuela, including the deployment of thousands of US troops, a carrier strike group in the Caribbean, new sanctions on shipping companies, and the recent seizure of a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker.
