US Carried Out Another Strike on Drug Boat in Caribbean, Hegseth Says

The U.S. military carried out its 10th strike on a drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean Sea, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 24.

Hegseth said in a post on X that U.S. forces conducted a lethal strike on a boat operated by Tren de Aragua, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” he said.

It was the first nighttime strike on a boat carrying narcotics, according to Hegseth. Six men on board the vessel were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed, he said.

Hegseth posted a 20-second black-and-white video of the strike.

It shows what appears to be a small boat sitting still as a target is placed on it. A projectile strikes the boat, creating what appears to be black smoke.

Hegseth said those transporting drugs by boat will be treated no differently than other terrorists.

“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” he said. “Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”

The Trump administration has conducted lethal kinetic strikes in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific against boats the Department of War said were carrying illicit drugs. These drugs have belonged to entities such as Tren de Aragua, according to the department. The strikes have occurred off the coasts of Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

Congressional Democrats and some Republicans have questioned the legality and reasoning of the strikes.

“I am deeply concerned about the President’s military actions in the Caribbean, which were taken without congressional authorization, without clear legal justification, and without any evidence presented that it was necessary to protect the United States or its forces from an imminent threat,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said during a Sept. 9 floor speech.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was one of the few Republicans to criticize the strikes.

“[Vice President JD] Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??” he said in a Sept. 6 post on X.

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has called for a hearing on the strikes.

“I call on Speaker [Mike] Johnson [R-La.] to immediately bring the House back into session to not only work to end the Republican shutdown, but to also enable the committees to conduct critical oversight,” Smith said in an Oct. 20 statement. “The House Armed Services Committee must convene a hearing to secure answers to the questions about military operations in the Caribbean and for the [U.S. Southern Command] Commander to testify on these matters.”

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will not go to Congress to seek authorization to conduct the strikes.

“I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he told reporters. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them.”