Another aerial bombing by the US Armed Forces took place in the eastern Pacific Ocean, targeting a speedboat that, according to US authorities, was involved in drug trafficking. The operation resulted in the death of three people and was carried out less than 24 hours after a previous similar strike in the same area, during which two people were killed.
The vessel “was moving in known maritime drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in drug trafficking operations,” stated via X, using its standardized terminology for such operations, the joint command of the US Armed Forces responsible for the Latin America and Caribbean region (SOUTHCOM, “Southern Command”), sharing “declassified” 28-second video footage that captured the strike and destruction of the speedboat.
On May 5, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… pic.twitter.com/CmK9HVK0oG
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 6, 2026
With this bombing, added to dozens of previous ones in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, the death toll from the highly controversial US military anti-drug campaign reached 190 fatalities.
On Tuesday, SOUTHCOM also announced via X that it conducted a strike against a speedboat allegedly engaged in drug trafficking, resulting in two deaths, in the eastern Pacific.
On May 4, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… pic.twitter.com/8S1feXpSiL
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 5, 2026
These types of airstrikes have been conducted since September 2025 as part of what is presented as part of the “war” against cartels trafficking drugs from Latin America to the US market – the Trump administration designated multiple Latin American gangs as “terrorist” organizations after taking office.
The Trump administration has never presented evidence that the vessels targeted in bombings were actually involved in illegal activities. The legality of the strikes, in international or foreign territorial waters, is disputed; experts and UN officials denounce them as extrajudicial killings.
