The US military on Saturday attacked a ship suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its months-long campaign against suspected traffickers in Latin America. The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in attacks on ships by the US military to at least 231 in 69 attacks since the Trump administration began targeting what it calls “narcoterrorists” about a year ago. As with most of the military’s statements about attacks in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the US Southern Command said they targeted suspected drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military provided no evidence that the ship was transporting drugs. A video posted on X showed an image of what appeared to be a moving ship followed by a flash. The Trump administration is seeking agreements with allied nations to extend its ground offensive in several Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the United States to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their territory. Guatemala denied having reached such an agreement. Ecuador launched similar missions with the United States in March. Last month, the U.S. military worked with Ecuador to board and sink a ship that was allegedly being used as a refueling station for drug trafficking ships in the eastern Pacific, according to the U.S. Southern Command. President Trump has said the United States is in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels and justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and the fatal overdoses that claim American lives. But his government has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing smugglers. In the first attack, carried out on September 2, 2025, the same ship was hit twice, which has been described as a “double strike” or follow-up attack. Sources previously told CBS News that the next attack killed two people who had survived the first attack and were waving overhead. According to the US military, a total of 11 people were killed in both attacks. Some lawmakers and legal experts have questioned the legality of the attacks and said the so-called “double tap” may have constituted a war crime. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
