The U.S. military launched a strike on a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of three people. This was reported by the Associated Press, according to UNN.
Details
The incident occurred on Tuesday, just one day after a similar attack in the Caribbean Sea where two people were killed. According to U.S. Southern Command, the strike was carried out against a vessel on one of the routes considered to be drug trafficking channels.
Released video footage shows a boat at sea, followed by a powerful explosion that engulfs the vessel in flames.
U.S. campaign against "narcoterrorism" has been ongoing since autumn
According to the agency, since the beginning of September, the U.S. has been conducting a large-scale campaign against vessels that, according to their data, are linked to drug trafficking in Latin America.
In total, at least 191 people have been killed as part of these operations. At the same time, the military has not provided public evidence that the attacked vessels were indeed carrying drugs.
US conducted deadly operation against drug cartels in Ecuador07.03.26, 05:40
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the country is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. According to him, such strikes are a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and combat overdoses.
U.S. military presence in the region is growing
The campaign began amid a significant buildup of U.S. military presence in the region, marking the largest deployment in several generations.
The operations also took place shortly before a high-profile raid during which former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was detained on drug trafficking charges.
Despite international attention on the conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. continues active military actions against suspected drug channels in Latin America.
Військово-морські сили США заявили про чергове перехоплення судна з наркотиками в Тихому океані. Про це повідомляє CNN. Зазначається, що екіпаж есмінця USS Pinckney (DDG 91) перехопив судно, яке перевозило 1800 кілограмів кокаїну на суму понад 40 мільйонів доларів. «Ми пишаємося тим, що можемо зірвати незаконну торгівлю наркотиками, яка підживлює злочинність і насильство», - заявив командир USS Pinckney Адам Аяла. Це вже третє перехоплення наркотиків есмінцем USS Pinckney за останні два тижні. Загалом, за цей період було вилучено понад 4,5 тонни кокаїну та марихуани на суму понад 100 мільйонів доларів. Нагадаємо, у квітні президент США Дональд Трамп заявив, що США направлять військові кораблі до берегів Венесуели для боротьби з наркотрафіком.