The U.S. military has carried out strikes on five boats it says were involved in drug smuggling over a two-day period, killing at least eight people, according to U.S. Southern Command.

The strikes took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The U.S. military did not reveal the exact locations of the attacks but said they occurred along known drug-trafficking routes in international waters.

In previous cases, similar strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Southern Command said three of the boats were targeted on Tuesday after they were seen travelling together in a convoy, which the military described as unusual.

According to the military, intelligence assessments indicated that narcotics had been transferred between the three vessels before the strikes were carried out.

On Dec. 31, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and… pic.twitter.com/4AE5u4cEff

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 1, 2026

The military reported that three people were killed when the first boat was struck. People on the other two boats reportedly jumped into the water and moved away from the vessels before follow-on strikes sank both boats.

Southern Command said it immediately informed the U.S. Coast Guard so that search and rescue procedures could be activated, but did not say whether those who jumped overboard were rescued.

On Wednesday, U.S. forces carried out strikes on two more boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs along established trafficking routes.

Southern Command said five people were killed in those strikes, with three fatalities on one vessel and two on the other. As with the earlier operation, the military did not provide evidence of the alleged drug trafficking or identify the body of water where the strikes took place.

On Dec. 30, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence… pic.twitter.com/NHRNIzcrFS

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 31, 2025

Videos shared by Southern Command on social media showed boats at sea followed by explosions, but no further details were given.

The involvement of the U.S. Coast Guard has drawn attention following an earlier incident in September. At that time, U.S. forces faced strong criticism after a follow-up strike killed survivors on a disabled boat.

Some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the action may have been unlawful, while the Trump administration and some Republican lawmakers argued that the strike was legal.

With the latest operations, the total number of confirmed U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats since early September has reached 35. The number of people killed in these operations has risen to at least 115, based on figures released by the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has defended the strikes, saying they are needed to stop drugs from entering the United States. He has also said the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels.

References: US southern command, the hindu