The latest US strikes on alleged drug boats kill 6 in the eastern Pacific

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs, killing six people in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and the death toll to at least 75 people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that many see as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth posted on social media.

The Trump administration has provided no evidence for its assertions, and lawmakers, including Republicans, have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national security issues last week, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes.

While Democrats said it wasn’t enough, Senate Republicans voted a day later to reject legislation that would have put a check on President Donald Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

The strikes began in early September and have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea but have increasingly shifted to those in the eastern Pacific, where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled. The Trump administration also has build up a massive military force in South American waters, including ordering an aircraft carrier to the region.

Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs.

The strikes and military footprint have raised speculation about an effort to oust Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. The Venezuelan leader has said the U.S. government is “fabricating” a war against him.

In the latest strikes, Hegseth posted a video — as has become customary — showing one boat floating before exploding in a fireball. The footage cuts to what appears to be another boat moving through the water, and it looks to be carrying packages. There is a blast, and flames and smoke pour from the boat.