The U.S. military took out another drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean with a kinetic strike on Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced.
The strike was the 17th publicly reported action the Trump administration has taken against a suspected drug-running boat. Most strikes have occurred in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, but some have targeted boats in the Eastern Pacific.
“Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth said. “The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed.”
Hegseth posted a 20-second video of the strike, showing a boat sailing before it was blown up. He did not identify which Designated Terrorist Organization was targeted in the strike.
As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops.
Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist… pic.twitter.com/gQF9LpSjqD
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 7, 2025
Hegseth said the strikes will continue until “narco-terrorists” stop “poisoning” Americans.
“To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs—we will kill you,” Hegseth said.
At least 69 suspected drug traffickers have been killed in the Trump-authorized strikes. Three people across two targeted boats have survived. Two were repatriated to their home countries, where the Trump administration asked them to be prosecuted for drug trafficking.
Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed top congressional leaders on Wednesday about the strikes. Democratic leaders criticized the action, arguing that President Trump lacks the legal authority to authorize such military operations.
“The notion of kinetic strikes without actually interdicting and demonstrating to the American public that these are carrying drugs and [are] full of bad guys, I think, is a huge mistake and undermines the confidence in the administration’s actions,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).
Republicans have generally supported the strikes.
“They’ve got good legal justification for what they’re doing,” said Idaho GOP Senator Jim Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The president really ought to be congratulated for saving the lives of young American people. He should be thanked by the many parents who won’t even know that they won’t have to bury kids prematurely. They’re doing good work. They’re doing it lawfully, and I encourage them to keep it up.”
The Trump administration says it plans to keep up the strikes and has given at least 13 bipartisan briefings on the action.
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