US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Monday that there had been new attacks on ships suspected of transporting drugs through the Pacific routes. The deadly attacks were carried out on Sunday, according to Hegseth, the same day that Latin American leaders rejected the use of force in the region, during the fourth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) with the European Union, in Colombia. Six people were killed in the attacks, bringing the total death toll to 76.
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“Yesterday, on orders from President Trump, two deadly live ammunition attacks were carried out against two ships operated by designated terrorist organizations,” Hegseth wrote in a post on the social media network X, the channel through which he shared photos of the shipwrecks. “Both attacks were carried out in international waters and there were three drug-trafficking terrorists on board each ship. All six were killed. No U.S. service members were injured.”
As with previous operations, Hegseth stated that the sinkings were based on “intelligence” information, which would have confirmed that the boats “were linked to drug trafficking” and “drug transport”. The Defense Secretary also added that the ships “were transiting a known drug trafficking route in the eastern Pacific Ocean.”
Sunday’s attack occurred on the same day that Latin American leaders, including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, criticized the use of force in the region — where the US military mobilization in recent months has heightened tensions, especially with Venezuela’s Chavista regime and the Colombian government, where the ships have allegedly departed.
In a joint statement, Latin American countries and the European Union reaffirmed their “opposition to the use of force or the threat of its use, and any action that is not consistent with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.” Fifty-eight of the 60 countries present signed the document issued on Sunday, with the exception of Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The text added: “We address the importance of maritime security and regional stability in the Caribbean,” without directly referring to US bombing against ships in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, present at the meeting, made it clear that there was no direct reference to the Trump administration, noting that this would have resulted in many countries not joining in signing the document. However, he pointed out that the European bloc is against unilateral measures that involve the use of force, which contravene international laws and conventions.
– Force can only be resorted to for two reasons: either in self-defense or pursuant to a UN Security Council resolution.
(The article is being updated)
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