US Conducts 14th Strike on ‘Narco Boat’ in Pacific; 4 Killed, Lawmakers Voice Concerns

The US military carried out another strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing all four people on board, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Thursday.

Hegseth said intelligence indicated the vessel was “transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and carrying narcotics.” The strike, conducted in international waters, caused the boat to explode, a video posted by Hegseth on social media showed.

The attack marks the 14th such strike since the Trump administration launched its maritime anti-narcotics campaign in early September. According to the Associated Press, at least 61 people have been killed in these operations so far.

“These actions are part of an armed conflict with drug cartels threatening our homeland,” President Donald Trump said earlier this month, defending the use of military force against suspected trafficking networks near South America.

The US has deployed a substantial naval task force, including Marine and aircraft-equipped vessels, to the region. The expanded presence has fuelled speculation about broader strategic objectives, including possible pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom Washington accuses of narcoterrorism.

However, members of Congress have raised concerns about the legal basis of the operations, which have been conducted without a formal declaration of war or judicial review. Lawmakers have also questioned the lack of publicly available evidence linking the targeted boats to drug cartels or confirming the identities of those killed.

Hegseth is currently on a diplomatic tour of Japan and Malaysia, where he reiterated the US commitment to “keeping global waters free from criminal and hostile actors.”