Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military conducted “three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.” “The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics. Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed,” Hegseth announced. “Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” he continued. Hegseth shared footage of the strikes: Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific. The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025 Fox News shared: Officials say dozens of suspected drug traffickers have been killed since Sept. 2, when the Trump administration began targeting boats allegedly carrying drugs. Many of the strikes have unfolded in the Caribbean. Hegseth had announced on Friday that at Trump’s direction, the “Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.” “Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters — and was the first strike at night,” Hegseth said Friday. “All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.” Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea. The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4 — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025 NBC News noted: This marked the 11th known time that the Trump administration has launched strikes against alleged drug-carrying boats in recent months, with the most recent one happening Friday in the Caribbean Sea. Later that day, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth had directed that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which had been stationed in the Mediterranean, move to the Caribbean to support President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle “Transnational Criminal Organizations” and to “counter narco-terrorism.” “In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR),” Parnell said. “The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere. These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs,” he added. U.S. Military To Deploy Aircraft Carrier Into Caribbean Region