The United States has carried out two military strikes in the Pacific Ocean, targeting boats full of drugs. Five people were killed.
This marks a new phase in President Donald Trump’s courageous campaign against Latin American cartels — and perhaps, a dangerous expansion of executive military power.
Missiles Over the Pacific
Until now, all U.S. strikes against suspected drug traffickers had taken place in the Caribbean Sea. On Tuesday, that changed.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that, “at the direction of President Trump,” a missile struck a small vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two men. A video released online shows a blue boat gliding across the water before erupting into flames.
Hours later, Hegseth confirmed a second strike, this time killing three more people aboard another suspected drug-smuggling boat.
According to the Pentagon, both vessels were “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” and carrying drugs. These two incidents bring the total number of U.S. maritime strikes under Trump’s renewed “narco-terrorism” campaign to at least nine, with 37 deaths so far.
Trump’s Expanding Authority
Speaking at a press event with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump claimed he did not need any additional authority — not even from Congress — to order missile strikes in international waters.
“It’s my right as commander-in-chief,” Trump said, referring to drug traffickers as “terrorists” who threaten U.S. security.
He did, however, suggest he might consult Congress if he were to authorize attacks on land-based targets — something he hinted could be coming soon. “Something very serious is going to happen,” Trump warned, “the equivalent of what’s happening by sea.”
The Rhetoric of “Narco-Terrorism”
Hegseth framed the strikes as part of a broader war on terror:
“Just as Al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”
Drug cartels, long recognized as criminal organizations, are now being classified as “terrorist enemies,” making them legitimate military targets under Trump’s doctrine.
This is a just classification considering that drug dealers and drug smugglers have killed more Americans than all the terrorist organizations put together.
The Venezuela Connection
Trump’s tough stance also connects to his longstanding feud with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Earlier this year, Trump increased the U.S. bounty on Maduro’s arrest to $50 million and confirmed that he had authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela.
Labeling Maduro and associated actors as threats gives Trump further justification to invoke wartime powers under the Alien Enemies Act.
A Question of Power and Precedent
The symbolism of these Pacific strikes goes far beyond the five people killed. It signals a shift — not just in geography, but in doctrine.
For decades, the U.S. “War on Drugs” has been fought through policing, interdiction, and diplomacy. Trump is now transforming it into a literal military campaign.
Previous efforts to fight drugs have failed. President Trump is taking extreme measures to protect the lives of Americans. Also, it’s sending a clear signal to drug dealers: if you want to destroy American lives, the price might be your own life.
Final Thoughts
America’s fight against drugs has long been a moral and political quagmire — expensive, ineffective, and deeply entangled with foreign policy. Now, under Trump’s leadership, we are seeing a real effort to eliminate drug smuggling at its root. I bet those dead drug smugglers will not threaten American lives any more.
My fear is that the drug money is too good and President Trump might not be able to finish the job in the next three years. If we get a weak democrat president, those drug routes will be re-stablised and more American will continue dying.
My question is: Will president Trump manage to reduce the drug trade to the U.S. or wil the drug dealers will at the end. Let me know in the comments below but before you go, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter at AlainGuillot.com/Newsletter so that you will never miss an episode.
Other Law Posts