U.S. Southern Command announced that five suspected “narco-terrorists” were killed, and one survivor was rescued, in two separate military strikes on April 11. It was the first-known military strikes on a suspected drug vessel as part of Operation Southern Spear in April and the first since March 25.
The strikes were announced in a press release issued by U.S. Southern Command on Sunday. News of the strike was also posted to the SOUTHCOM and Department of War social media platforms.
“Applying total systemic friction on the cartels,” read the press release. “On April 11, at the direction of the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted two lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.”
“Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” noted the release.
“Two male narco-terrorists were killed, and one narco-terrorist survived the first strike. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during the second strike,” Southern Command reported.
“Following the engagements, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor,” Southern Command reported. “No U.S. military forces were harmed.”
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Operation Southern Spear began on Sept. 2, 2025, when the U.S. Navy sank a speedboat suspected of smuggling drugs from Venezuela. The objective of the operation is to “enhance security and stability across the Western Hemisphere by detecting, disrupting, and degrading transnational criminal and illicit maritime networks,” according to a release on the U.S. Navy website.
Subsequent military strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean have targeted other vessels that were allegedly smuggling drugs. There have been at least 45 military strikes conducted on alleged “narco-trafficking” vessels, which have resulted in at least 168 deaths, including the most recent strikes from Saturday.
