A vessel U.S. officials said was transporting drugs was struck by U.S. forces in the Eastern Pacific, killing two, on May 8, 2026. U.S. Southern Command
The Pentagon said that the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike on May 8 against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific operated by a terrorist organization and involved in drug trafficking, killing two and leaving one survivor.
The U.S. Southern Command said on May 8 that the strike was part of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign that uses military force against suspected drug-smuggling vessels across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific after designating major cartels and trafficking networks as terrorist organizations that use drugs to kill Americans as part of irregular combat.
