US forces kill 3 narco-terrorists in Eastern Pacific lethal strike

U.S. forces carried out a deadly strike Saturday on a drug ship operated by a designated terrorist organization in the eastern Pacific, killing three suspected drug terrorists in international waters, according to U.S. Southern Command.

This attack brings the total number of suspected drug terrorists killed to 82, with three survivors, in an ongoing US campaign targeting drug smuggling ships linked to specific terrorist groups.

In a post on X, US Southern Command said intelligence confirmed that the ship attacked on Thursday was smuggling drugs along a known smuggling route. The command described the strike as a “deadly kinetic operation” conducted in international waters as part of a broader effort to disrupt transnational criminal networks.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced the official launch of Operation Southern Spear, a new mission targeting drug and terrorist networks across Latin America.

US military kills two suspected narco-terrorists in 16th strike in eastern Pacific, Hegseth says

U.S. Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Lance will lead the mission to defend the homeland and dismantle terrorist drug networks across the Western Hemisphere, Hegseth said on the X program.

“This mission defends our homeland, removes drug terrorists from our hemisphere, and secures our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people,” Hegseth said.

The United States carried out its 20th raid on suspected drug smuggling boats last week, killing four alleged drug terrorists, according to a Pentagon official.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear, a new mission targeting terrorist drug networks across Latin America. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)

Since early September, air strikes across the eastern Pacific and Caribbean have destroyed dozens of ships, many linked to the Tren de Aragua cartel in Venezuela and the National Liberation Army in Colombia.

The campaign began on September 2 with a strike that killed 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua, and continued through October and November with a series of targeted operations that eliminated dozens more through known smuggling routes.

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A US military drone strike ordered by president Trump destroyed a ship in the eastern Pacific Ocean on October 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the War Department. (war department)

US forces bombed submarines, fishing boats and high-speed ships, including an ELN ship, drawing criticism from Colombia’s president after three men were killed.

Several strikes occurred near the coast of Venezuela, while others occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where most recent operations were concentrated.

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The Navy previously announced it would lead Operation Southern Spear under U.S. 4th Fleet and Southern Command, using “long-duration robotic surface ships, small robotic interceptor boats, and automated vertical take-off and landing airships.”

Fox News Digital’s Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.