The U.S. has conducted another strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, bringing the total number of vessels hit to 10.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the overnight attack against a vessel trafficking narcotics and operated by the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang
Mr. Hegseth said that six were killed, bringing the death toll of the campaign against drug cartels to at least 46 people.
“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” he said on social media. “Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
The first strikes began in early September in the Caribbean Sea. This was the first strike at night, Mr. Hegseth said.
These operations signal an expansion of the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking from South America.
Critics have questioned the legality of the strikes, as the administration has yet to provide public evidence that those on the boats were cartel members and that the vessels were transporting drugs.
Earlier this month, administration officials told Congress that the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels it has designated as terrorist organizations.
Before the latest strike, the U.S. military had built up its presence in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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