Politics USA: Two dead in attack on suspected "drug boat"
The US military has again attacked a boat suspected of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific. Two people were killed on Friday, one person survived, the responsible US military regional command (Southcom) announced on Platform X. After the attack, the US Coast Guard was informed immediately in order to activate search and rescue efforts for the survivor, it said. What this led to - i.e. whether the person was rescued by the Coast Guard or not - was not clear from the post, which was also shared by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
24.01.2026, 01:53
SDA
The boat that was attacked was operated by organizations classified as terrorist and was on a known route used by drug smugglers, Southcom said.
This is the first officially known attack by the USA on a boat suspected of being loaded with drugs since the fall of Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro. US special forces arrested him and his wife in Caracas on January 3 and brought them to New York. They are to be tried there for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Since the beginning of September, US forces had repeatedly attacked speedboats allegedly loaded with drugs, citing alleged intelligence. According to official figures, more than 100 people were killed. The US government consistently refers to the victims as drug smugglers and "terrorists", but is heavily criticized for the extrajudicial killings. Experts argue that the attacks are not permissible under international law.
