The Department of War, acting on orders from President Trump, executed a “lethal kinetic strike” Saturday night on a narco-trafficking vessel operating in the Caribbean, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced. The vessel was allegedly operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO).
In a statement, Secretary Hegseth confirmed that the strike, conducted in international waters, resulted in the deaths of all three individuals aboard the vessel, whom he described as “narco-terrorists.” No U.S. forces were injured in the operation.
“This vessel—like EVERY OTHER—was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Secretary Hegseth stated. “Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike… All three terrorists were killed.”
Secretary Hegseth asserted that the action is part of a broader, aggressive strategy to combat groups using drug trafficking to fund operations and target the United States. He drew a direct comparison between the DTOs and established terrorist groups.
“These narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home—and they will not succeed,” Hegseth warned. “The Department will treat them EXACTLY how we treated Al-Qaeda. We will continue to track them, map them, hunt them, and kill them.”
The statement emphasizes a significant escalation in the government’s approach to counter-narcotics operations, explicitly linking drug smugglers on known routes to terrorism and justifying lethal force in international waters.
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