(MENAFN) A U.S. military strike in the Eastern Pacific has killed three individuals suspected of narcotics trafficking, U.S. Southern Command reported Sunday.

"On Nov. 15 (Saturday), 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, the U.S. social media platform, using an alternate title for the defense secretary.

According to the statement, U.S. intelligence verified that the vessel "was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics."

"Three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed," the command added, noting that the strike occurred in international waters.

The operation marks the latest military action against suspected drug trafficking under the counter-narcotics campaign initiated during the Trump administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Operations targeting alleged drug traffickers began in September in the Caribbean with a strike on a Venezuelan speedboat and expanded to the Eastern Pacific by late October.

Since September, at least 21 attacks against drug traffickers have been carried out, resulting in 82 deaths.

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