For the first time, the United States carried out a direct attack against a drug cartel ship in the Pacific Ocean, according to the announcement by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
According to Hegseth, the attack was carried out under the direct instructions of President Donald Trump and is part of a new expanded strategy to combat international drug trafficking. US authorities now officially classify major cartels as “terrorist organizations”.
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The ship, identified as belonging to a group involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, was destroyed in international waters. Two drug traffickers were on board at the time of the operation and died during the attack.
The weapon used was not officially identified, but military sources indicate that it could be a high precision Hellfire missile or one laser guided bombpossibly launched from a drone.
New policy to combat drug trafficking
The incident comes just weeks after the U.S. Army destroyed a drug submarine in the Caribbean Sea that was heading towards the American continent. On October 3, US forces had already confirmed the elimination of four drug trafficking vessels in the same region.
The US government claims that these operations are part of a more aggressive strategy to combat maritime drug trafficking and the groups involved. According to the Pentagon, all actions are carried out in areas of international jurisdiction and target organizations that “poison the American people with illicit drugs.”
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
The vessel was known by our intelligence to be… pic.twitter.com/BayDhUZ4Ac
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 22, 2025
Controversies and criticisms
Despite support from some of the American population, the policy has drawn criticism. Analysts and jurists warn of possible legal and ethical implications in the use of military force against non-state groups classified as terrorists.
He Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have asked the Pentagon for a formal and transparent justification for these actions, which mark a significant change in Washington’s approach to international drug trafficking.
Source and images: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth | X @SecWar. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.