Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

US army kills three suspects involved in illicit narcotics smuggling


(MENAFN) A US military strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Nov. 15 killed three individuals suspected of narcotics smuggling, the US Southern Command announced Sunday.

“At the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” the command said on X. US intelligence confirmed the vessel was “involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”

The strike, carried out in international waters, resulted in the deaths of “three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel,” according to the statement.

This operation is part of the Trump administration’s expanded counter-narcotics campaign, which began in September with strikes in the Caribbean and extended to the Eastern Pacific by late October. Since then, at least 21 attacks have targeted suspected traffickers, leading to 82 deaths. Trump designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations on his first day in office, granting broader legal authority for such operations.

MENAFN17112025000045017281ID1110353011



MENAFN

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Search