US Military Strikes Kill 4 on Alleged Drug Trafficking Vessel in Eastern Pacific: Latest in Controversial Anti-Narcotics Campaign

The US military conducted another strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced that four people were killed in this operation against what US officials claimed was a boat trafficking narcotics.

Hegseth confirmed the strike occurred in international waters, continuing President Donald Trump's controversial anti-drug campaign that has resulted in at least 62 fatalities to date.

A video shared with Hegseth's announcement displayed a stationary boat on water before a large explosion engulfed the vessel in flames.

Similar to previous footage released by US authorities, certain areas of the boat were obscured, making it impossible to independently verify the number of individuals aboard.

"This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," stated Hegseth in his announcement.

The Pentagon chief shared on social media: "Earlier today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Eastern Pacific."

Despite releasing strike footage, Washington has not publicly provided evidence confirming these vessels were smuggling drugs or posed threats to United States security.

This latest deadly strike follows operations conducted just two days prior, when multiple attacks on four boats in the eastern Pacific resulted in 14 fatalities with only one survivor.

The United States requested Mexico's assistance in rescuing the lone survivor, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that search efforts had been unsuccessful.