Eight killed as US strikes alleged drug boats at sea

A US military MQ-9 Reaper drone approaches for landing at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on December 29, 2025.

The United States military said on Wednesday that eight people were killed in fresh strikes on vessels it described as drug-smuggling boats, raising the death toll in its ongoing campaign against alleged narcotics traffickers to at least 115.

US Southern Command said two rounds of strikes were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday in international waters. On Tuesday, three vessels travelling together were targeted. According to the military, three people on the first boat were killed, while those on the remaining two vessels jumped overboard before the boats were later destroyed.

Video footage released by the military showed the vessels moving in convoy before being struck by explosions at sea. The precise location of the operation was not disclosed, though previous strikes have occurred in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

The military said the Coast Guard was alerted to activate search-and-rescue procedures, but provided no further information on the fate of those who entered the water.

In a separate statement issued hours later, the military said five more people were killed when two additional vessels were struck on Wednesday. Details of that operation, including its location, were not made public.

Since September, US forces have conducted more than 30 such strikes on boats they say are used to traffic drugs toward the United States, without publicly releasing evidence linking the targeted vessels to smuggling operations.

Rights groups and international law experts have raised concerns, arguing the strikes may constitute extrajudicial killings if civilians were targeted without posing an immediate threat.

The campaign comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas, with US President Donald Trump accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking. Maduro has rejected the claims, accusing the United States of seeking to undermine his government for strategic and economic reasons.