US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Caribbean Sea

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US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Caribbean Sea

This image from video provided by U.S. South Command, shows a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean shortly before it was destroyed by the U.S. military, killing two and injuring one, on Jan. 23, 2026. (U.S. Southern Command via AP, File)

2026-04-20T02:11:39Z

                                       

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people Sunday.

The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-drug-cartels-military-timeline-91e242e5c56eec39b6b7d72bf55dbd2d">persisted since early September and killed at least 181 people in total. Other strikes have taken place         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-cartels-drug-trafficking-trump-39cb6e4bd416b4216644c03b5ca59d87">in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Despite         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-war-israel-hormuz-19-april-2026-0a637f98d588930f195f61cffe07d4f3">the Iran war, the series of         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/cartels-pentagon-pacific-trump-3783ee3dbeaa127ba59137f2f81dc9bb">strikes have ramped up again in the past week or so, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

The attacks began as the U.S. built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-14a4236af0bed76639e8a02a8d45e3ca">face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

   
       
   

In the latest attack Sunday, U.S. Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It posted a video on X showing a boat moving along the water before a massive explosion engulfs the vessel in flames.

   
       




   

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Critics, meanwhile, have         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.

                                   
                               
                           

                           
                   
                   
Source: US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Caribbean Sea