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The US military said early Monday it struck an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, marking the first known strikein more than two months.
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“Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a statement on X.
Two people were killed in the strike on Sunday, according to SOUTHCOM.
The strikes are believed to be the first since June 21. It was not clear why the strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific paused, as CNN has reported.
Prior to the pause, the US military had destroyed at least 67vessels and killed at least 221 people since the “Operation Southern Spear” campaign began in September 2025, according to official announcements and CNN’s analysis of search and rescue efforts.
The administration has told Congress the US is in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels, labeling those killed “unlawful combatants” and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding.
Law enforcement officials and experts have expressed skepticism over the Trump administration’s strategy andits effectiveness at bringing meaningful change to the region’s drug trade.
In its statement Monday, SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan reiterated the US military’s commitment to combating the drug trade, saying: “We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists – disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region.”
“This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland,” Donovan said in the post.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Davis Winkie and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.