The US armed forces have bombed at least 14 vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September. The image shows one of the recent attacks against two vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking. Image: X / @SecWar.
Guacamaya, October 28, 2025. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced attacks on Tuesday against four vessels that were allegedly transporting drugs to the United States, all supposedly in the Eastern Pacific, near Mexico.
According to Hegseth’s post on X, US forces bombarded boats operated by “designated terrorist organizations,” though without specifying which ones. Fourteen people on board were reportedly killed, with only a single survivor.
These attacks follow ten others that took place around Latin America, though the exact location is known in very few cases. Some are known to have occurred in the Caribbean, near Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. Another of the bombings had already been carried out in the Eastern Pacific prior to the latest four.
The published video shows how two ships are bombed together, followed by another two. It is not possible to clearly discern how many people were traveling, the location of each attack, or what they were transporting. Therefore, acts that could constitute extrajudicial executions, for crimes that do not carry the death penalty, may have been recorded and disseminated in international waters. The same would apply to each of the previous attacks.
The Secretary of War also stated that the survivor was handed over to Mexican search and rescue units. This is the third individual that the US has captured and released in this operation, instead of prosecuting them if they are indeed terrorists or drug traffickers.
The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has already criticized the US government for this latest attack and has demanded explanations from its authorities, including officials from the US Navy and Ambassador Ronald Johnson.
In August, President Donald Trump ordered the use of military force against drug trafficking cartels in Latin America. Since then, a significant deployment of the Navy and Air Force has been concentrated in the Caribbean, primarily around Venezuela. The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is expected to join them.
The ultimate objective of this military operation remains unclear. On one hand, a strategy of pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro is being formulated. As part of this, three flights of US bombers have already occurred near Venezuelan airspace, with a clear intimidating intention.
On the other hand, attacks on vessels allegedly used for drug trafficking are taking place throughout the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, some having no relation to Venezuela whatsoever.
Furthermore, tensions between Bogotá and Washington have increased in the last week, diminishing the focus on Venezuela. The Trump administration has even sanctioned President Gustavo Petro and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, among others.
Finally, Trump has stated on numerous occasions that he would begin to attack drug cartels “by land,” though to date he continues to attack only ships in international waters.
