Four people have been killed in a US military strike on a boat suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, as the Trump administration continues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.
The latest operation brings to at least 231 the number of people killed in US boat strikes since the campaign began, with 69 attacks recorded over the past year.
US Southern Command said the vessel was targeted along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that drugs were being transported on board.
A video released by the command showed what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.
The Trump administration is also seeking agreements with allied countries to extend the offensive on to land. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow joint US military operations against criminal groups on their territory.
Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement. Ecuador launched similar missions with the United States in March, and the US military later worked with Ecuadorian forces to board and sink a vessel allegedly being used as a refuelling station for drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific.
President Donald Trump has described the US as being in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America. His administration has said the strikes are needed to reduce the flow of drugs into the United States and prevent fatal overdoses, but has provided little evidence to support its claims about those killed.
The legality of the operations has previously been questioned by lawmakers and legal experts. In the first attack, on September 2 2025, the same boat was struck twice in what has been described as a follow-on or “double-tap” strike; 11 people were killed, including two who had survived the initial attack and were reportedly waving overhead.
