US Forces Expand Deadly Counternarcotics Campaign into Eastern Pacific

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that US forces had killed two people allegedly hauling illicit drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking an expansion of the Trump administration's counternarcotics campaign into international waters off South America. The operation, directed by President Donald Trump, targeted a known narco-trafficking transit route, with Hegseth describing the victims as "terrorists" involved in illicit narcotics smuggling. No American personnel were hurt in the operation, which also did not specify the location of the attack or the type of military asset used. Trump suggested that the administration is preparing to expand the campaign to target land-based drug trafficking operations, saying "They'll be coming in by land a little bit more because they're not coming in by boat anymore."

Key Takeaways:

• The US has expanded its counternarcotics campaign into the eastern Pacific Ocean, targeting suspected drug traffickers and their vessels.
• The operation, directed by President Trump, resulted in the death of two people allegedly hauling illicit drugs.
• No American personnel were hurt in the operation, which was conducted in international waters off South America.
• The Trump administration is preparing to expand the campaign to target land-based drug trafficking operations.
• Democrats have opposed Trump's use of military force to target suspected drug traffickers, but their efforts have so far failed to generate support among Republicans.
• The administration has not provided public evidence verifying its claims that the targets of the attacks were confirmed drug smugglers.
• Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, has accused the US of attacking a fishing boat in his country's territorial waters and killing a Colombian citizen.
• Venezuela is generally used as a conduit for cocaine produced and trafficked by Colombian guerrilla groups, primarily the ELN.

Statistics:

• Since early September, the US has disclosed eight strikes accounting for more than 30 deaths in the/enhanced counternarcotics activities.
• All previously disclosed strikes were launched exclusively in the Caribbean Sea.
• The targets included what Trump and others in his administration contend are criminal organizations linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro or a Colombian guerrilla group known by the initials ELN.
• The majority of illicit drugs entering the United States, including fentanyl linked to overdose deaths, are trafficked along the Pacific coast or by land from Mexico.
• Venezuela is generally used as a conduit for cocaine produced and trafficked by Colombian guerrilla groups, primarily the ELN.

Sources:

• [Bloomberg]
• [Washington Post]