US strike kills 3 on narco vessel in eastern Pacific

The US Southern Command said it carried out a lethal strike on a vessel linked to narco-trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people on board.

The operation, conducted on April 26 under the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, was executed by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, according to a statement posted on the US military’s official account on the social media platform X, News.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

Officials said intelligence confirmed the vessel was traveling along established drug-trafficking routes and was actively involved in narco-trafficking operations. The strike targeted what the military described as a vessel operated by designated terrorist organizations.

Three individuals identified as male “narco-terrorists” were killed in the operation. No US personnel were harmed, the command said.

Authorities did not disclose the exact location of the strike, the identity of those involved, or the type of vessel targeted.

The US military has increasingly used maritime operations in the Pacific and surrounding regions to disrupt drug trafficking networks, which it links to broader transnational criminal organizations.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada