The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) carried out a new lethal attack against a low-profile vessel on established drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific, according to the British media outlet The Guardian. The incident, which took place on August 23, 2026, left a toll of two people dead, who were accused of drug trafficking by US authorities.
General Francis L. Donovan, SOUTHCOM commander, justified the action as part of a strategy to impose total systemic friction against narco-terrorists and protect US territory. However, the lack of evidence about the illicit cargo and the high number of victims have generated a wave of international criticism.
A lethal campaign in numbers
Since the start of the campaign in early September 2025, there have been 67 attacks that have left 223 people dead. The destroyed vessels include 64 fast boats, 3 low-profile boats, and 1 semi-submersible. In total, only 28 survivors have been reported, of which only 3 were rescued: one in March, transferred to Costa Rica, and two wounded who were repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia.
The first attack, in September 2025, left two survivors who later died in a second follow-up attack, justified by SOUTHCOM as self-defense to ensure the destruction of the boat. This practice has been condemned by the UN and humanitarian organizations as extrajudicial executions.
Lack of evidence and criticism
SOUTHCOM has not provided concrete evidence that the attacked vessels were carrying drugs. A 2020 DEA report indicated that 74% of cocaine reaching the US does so via the Pacific, while only 8% uses Caribbean fast boats, which casts doubt on the effectiveness of the campaign in the Eastern Pacific.
An investigation by the Pentagon Inspector General, published in May, focused on the targeting framework (Joint Targeting Cycle) but did not address the legality of the attacks. Meanwhile, the 2026 CLIP investigation identified 13 unidentified victims, several of them fishermen with no ties to drug trafficking. Entire communities have stopped fishing for fear of bombings, severely affecting their livelihoods.
Land expansion and fentanyl context
The campaign has expanded to land operations through agreements with Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, although Guatemala denied its participation. Ecuador launched similar missions in March. However, experts point out that fentanyl, responsible for most overdoses in the US, is mainly trafficked overland from Mexico, not by sea, which questions the effectiveness of this strategy.
SOUTHCOM published a pixelated black-and-white video on its X account showing the attack, but without clear images to support its claims. The international community continues to demand transparency and accountability for these operations.