US Carries Out Another Deadly Strike on Alleged Drug Trafficking Boat

The latest attack in the Eastern Pacific raises the death toll from the Trump administration's boat strikes to 128 people.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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The U.S. military has conducted another deadly strike on a vessel accused of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Southern Command. The attack killed two people and was the latest in a series of strikes that have killed a total of 128 people since September 2025. The legality of the strikes has been questioned, with the families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in an October strike suing the federal government and calling the attack a war crime.

Why it matters

The U.S. military's campaign of strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean has raised concerns about the legal justification and potential overreach of these operations, which some experts say violate the laws of armed conflict. The high death toll and lack of clear evidence linking the victims to drug cartels has also sparked criticism of the Trump administration's approach.

The details

According to U.S. Southern Command, the latest strike targeted a boat 'transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific' that was 'engaged in narco-trafficking operations.' A video shared by the military shows the boat exploding in flames after being struck. The Pentagon has not provided further details about the individuals on board or the specific circumstances of the attack.

  • The latest strike occurred on February 6, 2026.
  • The campaign of strikes on alleged drug boats began in September 2025.
  • In January 2026, the frequency of the strikes slowed to only one attack, down from more than a dozen in December 2025.

The players

U.S. Southern Command

The U.S. military's regional command responsible for operations in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Defense Secretary who claimed that some top cartel drug-traffickers have ceased operations due to the military strikes, though he provided no evidence to support this claim.

Donald Trump

The former U.S. president who justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs, despite a lack of evidence linking the victims to drug cartels.

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What they’re saying

“The boat 'was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.'”

— U.S. Southern Command (kob.com)

“Some top cartel drug-traffickers' in the region 'have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean.”

— Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary (Personal social media account)

What’s next

The legality of the U.S. military's boat strikes will be tested in court, as the families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in an October 2025 strike have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government, calling the attack a war crime.

The takeaway

The U.S. military's campaign of strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean has raised serious concerns about the legal justification and potential overreach of these operations, which have resulted in a high death toll with little clear evidence linking the victims to drug cartels. The lawsuit filed by the families of the Trinidadian nationals killed in one of the strikes will be a crucial test of the legality of these attacks.