The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced Monday a lethal kinetic strike on a drug-trafficking vessel as part of Operation Southern Spear left two dead and one survivor.
The operation, SOUTHCOM detailed in a brief press release, was carried at the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike,” the statement read.
“Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor,” the statement continued.
SOUTHCOM shared a ten-second long unclassified video footage oof the strike on social media.
Monday’s strike against a drug-trafficking vessel is the second such strike revealed by SOUTHCOM in February and the third so far in 2026 at press time. The lethal kinetic strikes are part of Operation Southern Spear, an ongoing a U.S. Department of War mission against transnational maritime drug trafficking networks.
Last week, on Thursday, SOUTHCOM announced that another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific left two narco-terrorists killed.
On January 23, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, SOUTHCOM conducted a lethal kinetic strike against another drug-trafficking vessel engaged in narco-trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific. Like this week’s strike, January’s operation left two killed and one survivor. SOUTHCOM immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to engage in search and rescue for the survivor.
“Through Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. military is sending a powerful message: the Western Hemisphere is no place for malign actors or illicit activities. With elite warriors, advanced warships, and interagency collaboration, we’re disrupting illicit networks, spurning malign actors, and strengthening regional security,” SOUTHCOM wrote on social media over the weekend.
A least 38 strikes against drug trafficking vessels in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters have taken place since the start of the operations in September, with at least 121 drug traffickers killed.
No U.S. military forces have been harmed in any of the strikes.
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