Military Strikes on “Alleged” Drug Traffickers Continue

October 28th, 2025
Ruhaan Sood

The United States has radically deepened its long-standing “war” against smuggling drugs across borders, abandoning traditional maritime interdiction for a policy of lethal military action against alleged smugglers overseas. This rushed and controversial measure, pursued by the Trump Administration, has resulted in rising numbers of fatalities (50+) and heightened diplomatic tension with once Latin American allies.

The latest and deadliest operation was on Monday, as the United States' military attacked four ships in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, reportedly killing 14. Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announced the operations via social media, citing that the ships were known to our intelligence community.

The recent attacks take the total number of fatalities of the fatal seaborne campaign to at least 57 in 13 reported incursions since the campaign began in early September 2025. The initial thrust in the Caribbean Sea, Venezuelan shores, and the extension into the Eastern Pacific indicate a wide geographical extension of the war against the region as a hub of cocaine smuggling from Colombia and Ecuador.

Military Response

This deadly campaign is supported by a record growth in the US command region of responsibility. Naval deployments in the region include guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets and the deployment of USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its accompanying supporting strike group, an extended deployment of military dominance.

Admin officials attempted to legitimize the deadly move by redefining the threat posed by the drug cartels, rebranding the campaign as a war matter rather than a law and order issue. President Donald Trump has universally equated the cartels with international terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, terming the illicit importation of drugs—fentanyl in particular—as a war strike on the American people.

Legal and Congressional Criticism

The unilateral deployment of deadly force on suspected narco-traffickers in the high seas has been harshly criticized by legal experts, human rights groups and Congressmen from both parties. They argue that the legal foundation of the administration—professing cartels as “unlawful combatants” to warrant killing them without court interference—is unwarranted and not applicable to domestic law and international law.

Also at the center of controversy are accusations that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had a prominent role to perform in obtaining the intelligence on which target selection is predicated. Experts say the use of covert intelligence prevents the evidence utilized to justify the targets as confirmed drug traffickers and members of target groups—such as Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the administration has targeted as a foreign terrorist organization—from having the ability to independently verify via classified info.

Diplomatic Tension and Possible Enlargement

The buildup has severely strained regional diplomatic ties. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has vocally condemned the attacks as "murder" and argued the US approach breaks international norms. The Mexican government has also opposed it and launched rescue operations for survivors, indicating a strain on traditionally close anti-narcotics relationships between the U.S. and its regional allies.

Moreover, the military deployment has often been thought to be part of the pressure campaign initiated by the administration against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was indicted by the US for narcoterrorism. Although the operations, in the view of the administration, are drug interdiction, the deployment of military assets along Venezuelan waters has fueled speculation that regime change remains an unstated objective.

Looking forward, President Trump has indicated the campaign is experiencing booming growth in the land territory. Recently, in public utterances, the President announced that the “land is going to be next” as a pledge of intentions to strike targets on the ground engaged in narcotics trafficking networks. This potential war expansion would raise new questions regarding national sovereignty, the limits of executive authority and the extent to which the American military will operate in the seas for years to come.