Washington, March 21 – The US military sank a boat allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, and three people on board survived the incident, the US Southern Command said.
"Intelligence confirmed that the low-profile vessel was operating along known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in drug trafficking activities," the command said in a press release on Friday (local time), accusing the boat of being "operated by designated terrorist organizations."
"Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors. No US military personnel were harmed," the statement said.
Since September 2025, the US military has conducted 46 known airstrikes on suspected drug trafficking boats and killed at least 157 people aboard, according to Xinhua news agency.
Commander of US Southern Command, Francis Donovan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Thursday that the airstrikes on alleged drug trafficking boats "are not the answer" to the US drug problem.
"Looking ahead, senator – the boat strikes are not the answer," Donovan said at the hearing. "I believe that kinetic strikes will be one of the many tools, and probably not the most effective tool, when we actually look at it as more of a campaign approach."
Earlier this month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held a hearing in Guatemala City on the legality of US boat strikes in the Caribbean and their impact on communities across Latin America, according to a news release from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Earlier on March 8, US forces struck a boat allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, killing six men.
In February, three vessels were struck by the US military in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, killing 11 people.