2 Killed, 6 Survive After US Military Strikes Boat in Caribbean

The U.S. military said two people were killed and six others survived as it struck a boat believed to be carrying narcotics to the United States on June 21.

The incident in the Caribbean brings the number of people killed since the Trump administration began targeting narcoterrorists in early September to 213.

In a June 21 post on X, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said a lethal kinetic strike targeted a vessel being operated by designated terrorist organizations.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said.

SOUTHCOM posted a 10-second video of the incident, showing a powerboat traveling at high speed before exploding after impact from a missile strike.

The command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard so they could coordinate a search-and-rescue operation, but it is unclear whether the survivors were picked up.

After a similar attack on June 16 in which SOUTHCOM said two people survived an initial strike in the eastern Pacific, the U.S. Coast Guard said it suspended its search with “no signs of survivors or debris” the following day, after searching an area of 46 square miles for 20 hours.

As of May 28, only three people are known to have survived the U.S. military strikes and then been rescued.

Two individuals were rescued from a semi-submersible ship in October 2025 and later deported to Ecuador and Colombia. In March this year, the U.S. Coast Guard said another survivor was transferred to Costa Rica.

SOUTHCOM is responsible for U.S. military operations across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, including counternarcotics missions aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

No Boat Survivors Prosecuted

So far, there has been no attempt to prosecute any of the survivors of the boat strikes for narcotics trafficking.

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating several Latin American narcotics cartels as terrorist organizations.

The following month, Mexico’s Cártel de Sinaloa and Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua (TdA), and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) from El Salvador were formally designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. State Department.

U.S. forces have targeted a wide range of craft along major trafficking corridors—including semi-submersibles designed to evade radar detection, high-speed go-fast boats, and commercial fishing vessels—in international waters stretching from the southern Caribbean to the Eastern Pacific.

Trump has said the strikes are justified as the United States is involved in a war with Latin American drug cartels that are intent on getting narcotics into the country.

Last month, the Pentagon inspector general’s office said it planned to look into whether the U.S. military was following an established framework, known as the Joint Targeting Cycle, when carrying out the strikes.

In December 2025, War Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a White House Cabinet meeting that he had watched live an initial strike on a boat on Sept. 2, 2025, but did not stick around for a follow-up strike on the damaged vessel.

Hegseth’s comments followed reporting by The Washington Post alleging he ordered the follow-up strike after at least two survivors were observed clinging to floating wreckage in the water.

“Admiral [Frank “Mitch”] Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said, backing the SOUTHCOM commander who oversaw the mission.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.