The US military has attacked another alleged drug ship in the eastern Pacific, killing two

Screengrab from video posted by US Southern Command on X

The US military on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) struck another vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two men.

The US Southern Command posted a video on social media showing the ship resting on the water before it was hit by the explosion. The last few seconds of the video show smoke and fire rising from the ship.

A day earlier, US forces attacked a suspected drug vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing one man and two survivors. Southern Command said it “immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate a search and rescue system for survivors”.

The Trump administration’s campaign to blow up alleged drug-smuggling vessels in Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, has been ongoing since early September and has killed at least 196 people in total. The military did not provide evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

A Pentagon watchdog said last week it would evaluate whether the US military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out attacks on alleged drug smugglers’ boats. The six-phase joint targeting cycle includes the military commander’s intent, target development, analysis, decision, execution, and evaluation.

The Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General said the review was “self-contained”. It will not examine the legality of the strikes, which have been the subject of intense scrutiny by some Democratic lawmakers and military lawyers.

The Trump administration says the US is at war against Latin American drug cartels, which it says are responsible for the scourge of fatal drug overdoses plaguing many American communities.

Published – 28 May 2026 09:42 IST