A United States military strike targeting a vessel "involved in drug trafficking operations" in the eastern Pacific killed six people on Sunday, March 9, 2026, according to the U.S. military.

The operation, announced on X by U.S. Southern Command, brings the total number of fatalities to more than 150 since September, as American forces have carried out a series of strikes against vessels allegedly belonging to drug traffickers across the Pacific and the Caribbean.

"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting known drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was involved in drug trafficking operations," wrote General Francis Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, in a post on X.

The military released video footage of the strike, showing a small watercraft being blown apart by an explosion.

"Extrajudicial Executions"

The administration of President Donald Trump has yet to present conclusive evidence establishing that the vessels targeted in these strikes were in fact engaged in trafficking activities.

International law experts and human rights organizations have argued that the strikes likely amount to "extrajudicial executions," as they appear to target civilians who pose no imminent threat to the United States.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on Thursday that the campaign to locate vessels allegedly carrying drugs through the Caribbean and the Pacific has proven so successful that suitable targets have become increasingly difficult to find.