Trump Orders Third Strike on Alleged Drug Vessel
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans.”
President Donald Trump announced Friday that U.S. forces carried out a third “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel he said was trafficking illicit narcotics, and framed the strike as part of a broader effort to secure Americans from a rising drug scourge.
From the White House’s rapid response account:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 19, 2025
“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans. The strike killed 3 male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel, which was in international waters. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!”
News organizations confirmed the president’s account and noted this is the third such strike announced in recent weeks. The BBC summarized the administration’s claim and the international context:
“President Donald Trump has said US forces carried out a ‘lethal kinetic strike’ on a vessel which he said was trafficking drugs, and the attack killed three ‘male narcoterrorists’ on board. … It was the third such strike on alleged drug boats in recent weeks.”
CBS News reported additional operational detail and the administration’s broader framing of the campaign:
“President Trump said Friday the U.S. military has carried out another ‘lethal kinetic strike’ on a boat accused of carrying drugs — at least the third strike in recent weeks… The strikes come as the Trump administration vows to crack down on drug trafficking in Central and South America. The federal government has designated multiple drug cartels and transnational gangs as terrorist organizations…”
Trump cast the strikes as a blunt instrument of security: a president asserting commander-in-chief authority to “secure” U.S. borders and waters against fentanyl and organized narco-violence. Supporters say decisive military action is needed to stop poison before it arrives on American streets; critics in Congress argue the administration has not provided a full legal justification and warn of potential violations of international law.
As the White House touts the operation as part of a hard-line security posture, lawmakers and legal experts are already pressing for more details, including where the strike took place, how targets were identified, and what rules of engagement governed the use of lethal force in international waters. The next chapters will hinge on what the Pentagon discloses and whether Congress accepts the administration’s claim that these strikes are lawful, necessary, and effective in keeping Americans safe.
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Comments
I’m in favor of intercepting narco boats by fair means or foul, and certainly can understand the benefits of not allowing them to shoot at the drug interceptors. Which they will given a chance.
But Murphy being king, inevitably either Drug Enforcement will make a mistake or a cartel will manufacture Drug Enforcement “making a mistake”.
The first time an “innocent party” gets exploded there will be a lower court judge or prosecutor – or international court judge or prosecutor – putting out injunctions and / or arrest warrants for that.
I know “Shooting to Disable” is a sucker’s plan if you’re LE vs armed perps – but I just wish there was a way to safely stop a (suspected) narco boat without endangering the stoppers. There may not be.
International courts have no jurisdiction. They can go pound sand. I doubt the out of control district courts have any jurisdiction either. Not sure.
They could probably disable the boats if they wanted to. They could use helicopters and target the motors. But then what? Drop Seals onto them and detain them and then what? There would still be some casualties and a mess (trials, drug impounding) to deal with and you’ll still have the possible problem if they’re not cartel.
The boats ARE disabled. Permanently.
Have no fear, Milhouse will be along shortly to mansplain to all of us how the international courts and federal district courts have jurisdiction and will shortly be issuing celestial injunctions and Interpol warrants.
If this tactic stops drug runners from using this method of transportation, well and good.
But if I were in charge of moving drugs from point A to point B, I would have already changed tactics.
And I hope the administration realizes this.
The cartels are already known to have used cargo micro submarines carrying drugs where surface boats were being intercepted – being slower, shorter ranged, and more expensive than most surface boats that just ups their overhead – but you do what you can.
I’m sure Glen Fry would like a word with the Anti-drug War generals…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSXKyHM133c
careful as lefty/msm is going to set a trap that will make djt look bad
a boat carrying 3 narcos and 10 children etc
the left is always willing to sacrifice lives to get their pr agenda
that is a know fact!
send uavs over the boats…get a tighter reading /recon send the pics back that no children etc are on board as the msm is looking to set up djt in a scandal ..its how they roll
You don’t know that this isn’t already being done, whereas I’m sure it is, because this administration is acutely aware that any misstep in whacking narco-terrorists will be pounced on immediately.
It would be foolish in the extreme to detail the methods and sources by which these determinations are made; ridiculous that the public thinks it’s entitled to granular information on how these hits are developed.
And not because Trump is secretive and loves killing brown people, but because those self-same brown people are smart enough to use other mouthpieces to demand transparency and register outrage!!! eleventy!!! in order to hamstring the program that is hamstringing their business.
I agree, but years of actual living has taught me that government is fully capable of screwing up a wet dream.
you stated..that I dont know,,but you do…
check the ego at the door
why do you assume trump loves killing brown people?
I sure dont think that
Not all hispanics are brown. Some have considerable European blood and are very white.
I hate the brown black white designation. It’s just a skin color. It means nothing. It’s incidental to race or racial mixture.
The way to enforce this is exactly how it is occurring. Venture in small high speed craft along known drug routes and you get smoked. Period. No whining about ‘the children’. If you allow waffling then you simply have encouraged a tactic to put children on every boat, which means more kids getting sold or abducted and put into harms way. These narcoterrorist ain’t using their own kids. Allowing ‘human shields’ to neutralize missions is folly. Military operations have collateral damage and if we can’t accept that fact then we can’t conduct effective operations.
We’ve moved beyond a law enforcement response. This is a National Security response using the full arsenal of the US Govt. The military exists to kill the enemies of the Republic and by doing so deter others who may wish us harm. No sanctuary and no quarter for narcoterrorist entities, their affiliates or hired help who through their actions seek to harm US Citizens.
Having declared the drug smugglers terrorists and using his presidential powers to “declare war” on them , Trump has (arguably perhaps) legalized the use of lethal force without warning. You don’t have to give enemy soldiers a chance to surrender before shooting. Further the U.S. has no obligation to research their identities and make such information public.
Here’s what I find interesting: in order to protest these killings, some country or organization would have to claim them and identify them. You will recall that Venezuela chose to deny the U.S.’s state connection to those in the first boat destroyed. They elected to declare the incident an A.I. creation. To claim the smugglers/terrorists would imply complicity, and that is not a desirable position.
So, there will be no identification of “Maryland Fathers” and sad stories about how they were just feeding their children by smuggling drugs.
Having seen some of the pictures of these drug running boats, I am very impressed with the number and size of the outboards equipping these boats. I would be curious to know how many knots they can do on a good day. I’ll bet at the end of a successful trip, the crew would be so shaken and deafened as to be desperate to get off. I’m not sure of the make of these engines, but I would think that the DEA might want to investigate the customer list – could be interesting. Perhaps the DEA could take a page out of the Israeli’s pager playbook and supply engines to certain high demand customers.
Three more employees who joined the early retirement opt-out plan from Maduro, Inc. Great benefits that no one lives long enough to collect.
“critics in Congress argue the administration has not provided a full legal justification and warn of potential violations of international law.”
Meanwhile, Putin is flying jets over Poland and Estonia, and it’s just another day ending in Y.
Suck it up, congresweenies.