The U.S. Coast Guard is reportedly searching for eight suspected “narco-terrorist” survivors after deadly U.S. military strikes destroyed multiple drug-trafficking vessels in international waters at the end of December, underscoring the Trump administration’s aggressive campaign to choke off narcotics flowing toward the United States.
According to posts from U.S. Southern Command, American forces carried out lethal strikes on December 30 and December 31 against vessels believed to be operated by designated terrorist organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking. In the December 31 operation, five suspected narco-terrorists were killed during a kinetic strike on two boats. The day before, U.S. forces targeted three vessels traveling together as a convoy, killing additional suspects while others jumped into the ocean in an apparent attempt to escape.
Southern Command said the December 30 strikes were conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Intelligence indicated the three vessels were operating along known narco-trafficking routes in international waters and had transferred narcotics between them shortly before the attack.
During the first engagement, three suspected narco-terrorists aboard one vessel were killed. The remaining suspects on the other two boats abandoned ship, leaping overboard before follow-on strikes sank those vessels. After the engagements concluded, Southern Command immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search-and-rescue operations.
A U.S. official speaking anonymously to Reuters confirmed that eight individuals abandoned their vessels and are now being sought in the Pacific Ocean.
The late-December strikes are part of a broader military campaign ordered by President Donald Trump, aimed at dismantling maritime drug-smuggling networks operating in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out more than 30 strikes on suspected drug boats, resulting in more than 110 deaths, according to publicly released figures.
The administration has argued that these operations are necessary to stop deadly narcotics, particularly fentanyl, from reaching American communities. Officials say drug traffickers increasingly rely on sophisticated vessels and coordinated convoys to evade law enforcement, requiring decisive military action to disrupt their operations.
In October, two survivors from earlier U.S. strikes were recovered and repatriated to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador. President Trump highlighted that operation in a social media post, celebrating what he described as a major blow to drug trafficking.
Trump said it was his “great honor” to destroy a large drug-carrying submarine traveling along a well-known narco-trafficking route toward the United States. According to the president, U.S. intelligence confirmed the vessel was loaded primarily with fentanyl and other illegal narcotics. Four suspected narco-terrorists were believed to be on board, two of whom were killed in the strike.
Trump said at least 25,000 Americans could have died if the submarine had reached shore, framing the operation as a life-saving mission. The two surviving suspects were returned to Ecuador and Colombia for detention and prosecution, and no U.S. forces were harmed.
“Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or sea,” Trump said, emphasizing that his administration is committed to using military power to defend Americans from the scourge of narcotics.
As the Coast Guard continues its search for the remaining survivors from the December strikes, the operations signal that the administration has no intention of easing pressure on drug traffickers. Supporters say the hardline approach sends a clear message that the United States will aggressively confront narco-terrorism wherever it operates, even far from American shores.
[READ MORE: Trump Says Triumphal Arch Construction Nears as America Gears Up for 250th Anniversary]
