The U.S. military conducted three airstrikes on four boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean allegedly carrying narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. Fourteen “narco-terrorists” were killed and one survivor was handed over to Mexican authorities.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025
The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG
Hegseth described the vessels as being operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and shared unclassified footage of the strikes on X.
This marks the 11th known U.S. strike on drug-smuggling vessels under the Trump administration, part of a broader campaign to dismantle transnational criminal networks.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has been redeployed from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean to support the mission.
The campaign has faced bipartisan criticism in Congress. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) called the strikes “murder,” while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said they violated the Constitution’s war powers clause.
President Donald Trump defended the actions, saying they were legal and could expand to land-based targets.
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TIPP Staff
TIPP Staff
