The US military said it bombed another boat allegedly ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people, on Monday.
The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Despite the Iran war, the strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the western hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
The attacks began as the US built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came in the months before the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.
In the latest attack on Monday, US Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It posted a video on X showing a boat moving along the water before a massive explosion engulfs it in flames.
Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists”.
Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.