The United States military carried out a lethal strike in the eastern Pacific on December 29, 2025, destroying a vessel suspected of narco-trafficking and killing two individuals linked to designated terrorist organizations, according to U.S. Southern Command. The operation was directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth through Joint Task Force Southern Spear as part of the Trump Administration’s expanded campaign to dismantle cartel-controlled drug routes.

Infrared footage released following the strike shows a low-profile vessel, commonly referred to as a narco-submarine, being struck by precision-guided munitions. Intelligence assessments connected the boat to established trafficking corridors used to transport fentanyl and other narcotics toward North America. U.S. officials stated that the vessel was under surveillance prior to the strike and was assessed to pose a direct threat as part of transnational criminal and terror-linked networks.

The action marks the 30th interdiction under Operation Southern Spear since September, with at least 106 suspected narco-terrorists killed across multiple engagements. The campaign follows President Donald Trump’s decision to reclassify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, a move that expanded military authorities to target cartel vessels operating in international waters.

Supporters of the policy argue that aggressive maritime enforcement is already producing results, pointing to recent declines in overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids. They credit sustained pressure on supply chains for disrupting the flow of fentanyl that has devastated American communities and claimed more than 100,000 lives annually in recent years.

Critics, including several Democratic lawmakers, have condemned the operation and questioned the underlying intelligence, claiming the individuals killed may have been civilians. Administration officials have rejected those claims, emphasizing that each strike undergoes rigorous intelligence review and legal authorization before execution.

The latest operation underscores the Trump Administration’s broader national security strategy, which treats cartel-driven drug trafficking as both a criminal enterprise and a strategic threat. U.S. defense and intelligence leaders have signaled that Operation Southern Spear will continue as long as narco-terror networks attempt to exploit maritime routes to traffic deadly substances toward the United States.