WASHINGTON (AP)—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the latest in a series of strikes on boats accusing of ferrying drugs killed six people two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks to 19 and the death toll to at least 75 people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that many see as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth posted Monday on social media.