The United States has carried out another attack against a suspected drug trafficking vessel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday.
“Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the War Department conducted a lethal kinetic attack against a ship operated by the Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), which traffics narcotics in the Caribbean Sea,” Hegseth wrote on X, where he posted a video of the attack.
This is the tenth attack in international waters in Latin America since the beginning of September. Eight of the attacks have occurred in the Caribbean Sea and two in the Pacific Ocean.
Hegseth said six people were killed in the overnight attack.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens to President Donald Trump speak during a roundtable discussion with the National Security Task Force in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Oct. 23, 2025.
Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock
At least 43 people are believed to have been killed in US attacks so far.
“If you are a narcoterrorist smuggling drugs into our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or night, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you,” Hegseth wrote in X.
The overnight attack came after two US Air Force B-1 bombers flew on Thursday on what was described as a training mission over the Caribbean Sea, sources familiar with the operation told ABC News.
The strikes are part of what the government has called its “war” against drug cartels. But lethal force has raised several legal questions, as previous administrations have relied on law enforcement to intercept drug shipments.
“We are finally treating the cartels as the major national security threat that they really are. The cartels are waging war against the United States,” Trump said at an event at the White House on Thursday, where he was joined by Hegseth and other officials to discuss the administration’s actions against the cartels.
The president was asked if he would seek a traditional declaration of war from Congress as they intensify their campaign against cartels and drug traffickers.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily going to ask for a declaration of war,” Trump said. “I think we’re just going to kill the people who are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them. You know, they’ll be as good as dead. Okay.”
Trump again hinted at the possibility of ground attacks against drug cartels, saying Thursday that “the ground will be next.” He previously said he was “investigating” possible ground attacks against Venezuela.
