In a striking turn of events, the U.S. military has confirmed that it conducted a lethal operation in the eastern Pacific on Monday, resulting in the deaths of two individuals suspected of being involved in drug trafficking. This action was reported by the Southern Command of the U.S. military, which oversees operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
This incident is part of a broader pattern that critics have labeled as extrajudicial killings orchestrated by the Pentagon. The strike was executed under the guidance of General Francis L. Donovan, who recently assumed command of the combat unit based in Florida. His appointment followed the retirement of Admiral Alvin Holsey, who reportedly left due to disagreements regarding the controversial policy governing such boat strikes.
According to the Pentagon's announcement, which included footage of the operation, the strike targeted a vessel identified as operating along known narcotics trafficking routes. In the aftermath of the attack, the U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched to search for any potential survivors.
This latest operation has raised the total number of fatalities linked to these strikes to a staggering 130 across 38 separate incidents, as reported by the Intercept, which has been closely tracking these developments.
On the same day, U.S. military forces also boarded a tanker in the Indian Ocean, a ship they had been monitoring after it departed from the Caribbean. This action was part of an ongoing effort to impose an oil embargo aimed at Venezuela, as outlined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Venezuela has been under U.S. sanctions affecting its oil exports, leading it to rely on a network of tankers with falsified flags to smuggle oil into the global market. After a raid earlier this January intended to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, several of these vessels fled the country, including the one intercepted in the Indian Ocean.
Hegseth expressed a firm commitment to capturing all sanctioned ships, declaring to a group of shipyard workers in Maine, "The only guidance I gave to my military commanders is none of those are getting away. I don’t care if we have to go around the globe to get them; we’re going to get them."
The Trump administration has previously seized seven tankers as part of its strategy to gain control over Venezuela's oil resources. However, the Aquila II, a Panamanian-flagged tanker implicated in shipping illicit Russian oil, has not yet been formally seized; it remains under U.S. hold while decisions regarding its future are made.
Tracking data reveals that the Aquila II, owned by a company with an address in Hong Kong, has often switched off its radio transponder—a tactic known as "running dark"—commonly used by smugglers to evade detection. Notably, this vessel was one of at least 16 tankers that fled the Venezuelan coast last month. Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, utilized satellite imagery to monitor this ship's movements, noting that as of Monday, it was not carrying any crude oil.
The Pentagon's statement highlighted that the military had executed a "right-of-visit, maritime interdiction" on the Aquila II, stating, "It was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed."
While specific details about the forces involved in boarding the vessel were not disclosed, it has been confirmed that the USS Pinckney and USS John Finn destroyers, along with the mobile base ship USS Miguel Keith, were deployed in the Indian Ocean during the operation. Videos released by the Pentagon depict personnel boarding a helicopter from a ship matching the profile of the Miguel Keith, while aerial shots show a navy destroyer accompanying the tanker.
