U.S. military strikes suspected drug vessels in eastern Pacific, escalating anti-trafficking campaign

The U.S. military has carried out two more strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

(NBC)- The U.S. military has carried out two more strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the latest escalation in President Trump’s new offensive against international narcotics networks.

According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. forces attacked a vessel Tuesday, killing two men, in what he described as the first known operation in the Pacific since the administration expanded its anti-drug campaign.

Just hours later, the military struck another vessel Wednesday, killing three more people, Hegseth confirmed.

The Pentagon says the recent strikes follow at least seven similar operations in the Caribbean over the past several weeks. The campaign, officials say, is aimed at disrupting major maritime trafficking routes but has also raised tensions with Venezuela and Colombia, two nations long accused by U.S. officials of enabling or protecting drug operations.

While the Department of Defense has not released details about the vessels’ origins or cargo, officials say the targets were identified as part of a broader multinational effort to track and interdict transnational drug networks operating across the Caribbean and Pacific corridors.

The latest actions underscore the Trump administration’s intent to expand U.S. counter-narcotics efforts well beyond traditional zones of engagement — signaling what defense analysts describe as a global shift in U.S. anti-drug strategy.