More ‘Narco-Terrorists’ Taken Out In Deadly Strike As Hegseth Threatens Drug Smugglers

The U.S. military destroyed another suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean on Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced, marking the 17th publicly reported strike the Trump administration has carried out against suspected narcotics runners. Most of the strikes have taken place in international waters of the Caribbean, with some operations hitting targets in the Eastern Pacific.

“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 short 20-second clip showing the vessel before it was struck. He did not disclose which designated group was targeted. Officials said at least 69 suspected traffickers have been killed across the administration’s campaign of strikes, while three people on two targeted boats have survived, two of whom were repatriated and referred for prosecution in their home countries.

The secretary warned the traffickers directly: “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.” He said the strikes will continue until the flow of deadly narcotics into the U.S. stops.

Democrats criticized the operations, arguing the White House lacks legal authority to carry out lethal strikes without clear evidence and congressional approval. “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 confidence in the administration’s actions,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said.

Republican senators voiced strong support. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration has solid legal justification and should be thanked for saving American lives, adding he encourages continued action.

The administration says it has provided at least 13 bipartisan briefings to Congress about the strikes and plans to press on with the campaign.