US Military Expands Drug War Operations with First Pacific Strikes, Sparking Legal and Ethical Debate
The US military has for the first time conducted strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels on the Pacific side of South America, marking a significant escalation in its controversial campaign against narcotics. These operations, carried out Tuesday night and early Wednesday, resulted in the deaths of five individuals, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This action follows previous military engagements in the Caribbean, where at least 32 people have been killed in strikes against seven vessels.
The recent attacks represent a departure from prior operations, which were largely concentrated off the coast of Venezuela, where the US has maintained a substantial military presence. Hegseth released a brief video depicting the Tuesday night strike, showing a small boat laden with brown packages being destroyed in an explosion. The footage shows the vessel moving at sea before erupting in flames and becoming motionless.
In a striking move, Hegseth drew a parallel between the alleged drug traffickers and the terrorist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. “Just as al-Qaida waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” he stated, adding a stark warning: “there will be no refuge or forgiveness – only justice.”
The expansion of the campaign into the Pacific raises questions about the administration’s strategic rationale, which remains largely unclear. The White House has not responded to requests for comment, and Hegseth offered no additional details beyond the released video on X.
The first reported strike occurred on September 3rd, announced by Donald Trump via a brief video. Since then, the administration has disclosed details of subsequent strikes, primarily focusing on the number of casualties and the claim that the targeted boats were carrying narcotics. These actions have drawn widespread condemnation from both civil liberties groups and governments in South America.
Intelligence gathering for these airstrikes is reportedly being spearheaded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as revealed by The Guardian on Tuesday. Experts suggest this central role means the evidence used to identify targets will likely remain classified. The president confirmed last week that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, without specifying the agency’s activities.
White House officials have attempted to justify the increasing number of strikes by invoking a contentious legal theory. This theory posits that the targeted boats are linked to “designated terrorist organizations,” thereby placing the US in a “non-international armed conflict.” Until recently, the administration had categorized groups like Tren de Aragua and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). However, legal analysts contend that simply labeling drug cartels as FTOs does not automatically grant the administration the authority to use lethal force.
The administration is also relying on the assertion that Trump is exercising his Article Two powers, which permit the president to employ military force in self-defense during limited engagements. This argument centers on the FTO designation of Tren de Aragua, a claim championed by Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, to defend the deportation of dozens of Venezuelans earlier this year under the Alien Enemies Act.
The administration alleges that Tren de Aragua has infiltrated the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and that the presence of cartel members in the US constitutes a “predatory incursion” by a foreign nation, justifying the deportation of any Venezuelan national. However, the administration has yet to present concrete evidence supporting the claim that Tren de Aragua has become an instrument of the Venezuelan government. Legal experts consulted for this report assert that the White House must substantiate this claim to legally justify the strikes.
Oversight of the strikes targeting alleged Venezuelan drug boats has largely fallen to Miller and Tony Salisbury, his top lieutenant at the White House homeland security council (HSC), according to previous reporting by The Guardian. Miller has restructured the HSC earlier this year, establishing it as a separate entity within Trump’s second term, a departure from previous administrations where it functioned as part of the national security council.
This shift in structure was evident in the September 15th strike, where a boat was hit with hellfire missiles. While the Pentagon identified the vessel as a viable target more than four days prior, many senior White House officials were only informed of the impending strike hours before it occurred.
[Reuters contributed to this report.]
