The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that on December 4, 2025, Joint Task Force Southern Spear executed a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. The strike, conducted under the direction of U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, targeted a ship confirmed by intelligence to be transporting illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific.

According to SOUTHCOM, all four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. Infrared and operational footage released by the command show the vessel’s destruction and subsequent sinking, underscoring the precision and effectiveness of the mission.

The operation is part of the Trump administration’s broader Operation Southern Spear, launched in early 2025 to disrupt narco-terrorist activities at sea. Since its inception, the initiative has conducted 22 similar attacks, resulting in 87 enemy fatalities and significantly curbing transnational drug smuggling operations along key maritime routes.

SOUTHCOM emphasized that the strike was carried out with careful planning to target confirmed threats while minimizing collateral damage. Officials described the operation as a decisive demonstration of American military capability, projecting power and enforcing law in international waters to disrupt narcotics-based terrorism.

Secretary Hegseth praised the Joint Task Force’s precision and effectiveness, highlighting the ongoing commitment of the Trump Administration to confront transnational criminal and terrorist networks directly, leveraging intelligence, technology, and rapid kinetic action to protect U.S. national security and regional stability.