US military strikes alleged ‘discreet’ drug smuggling ship in Pacific, killing 1

The U.S. military said it struck a ship carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific on Monday, killing one person, as part of a months-long campaign of boat strikes near Latin America.

The military has struck at least 29 suspected drug trafficking vessels since early September, killing 105 people. President Trump has argued that the boat strikes have been effective in suppressing drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, but critics have questioned the president’s legal authority to carry out the strikes.

Monday’s strike targeted a ship in international waters that was “transiting known narcotics trafficking routes,” the U.S. Southern Command said in an article on

The military described the target of Monday’s operation as a “low-profile vessel.” Drug trafficking groups to have long has been accused to use submarines and “low-profile” semi-submersible boats to transport drugs in some cases. In October, Mr. Trump announced a strike against a suspected drug-trafficking submarine in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors repatriated to their country of origin.

The military began carrying out strikes against ships on September 2, part of a broader military buildup and counter-narcotics campaign near Latin America. The administration justified the strikes by argue the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with cartels.

The strikes have drawn opposition from congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans who say the operations were not authorized by Congress and that the administration has not provided enough evidence that the ships were carrying drugs. The Colombian and Venezuelan governments have also criticized the strikes.

At the same time, the Trump administration is putting increasing pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, accusing it of collaborating with drug cartels.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly launched ground strikes against suspected drug traffickers in Venezuela and other countries. The president also said he was instituting a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil ships entering or leaving Venezuela, which would impact a key economic sector for the South American country. The American authorities have seized two tankers which docked in Venezuela this month and was in pursuit of a third tanker near Venezuela Monday afternoon.

Maduro’s government has denied working with drug cartels and accused the Trump administration of seeking regime change. The president has not said what his intentions are for Venezuela – he told reporters on Monday that it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power, but that “it’s up to him what he wants to do.”

Mr. Trump also said, “If he plays hard, it will be the last time he is able to play ‘hard.’