On August 25, 2026, U.S. forces conducted a strike in the Caribbean Sea that killed four people on a vessel suspected of drug trafficking.

The operation was part of a broader campaign by the United States to disrupt drug trafficking networks in Latin America, which has included at least 68 strikes resulting in 227 reported deaths since the start of the Trump administration's efforts.

Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere was carrying out "precise, lethal operations" against narco‑terrorist networks. The military said intelligence indicated the boat was involved in narcotrafficking, though it did not provide evidence of drug cargo. A brief video released after the strike showed the vessel before impact. The strike followed another similar operation in the Eastern Pacific two days earlier that killed two individuals and marked the first such action in the Caribbean region in two months. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had permitted U.S. forces to conduct joint operations against criminal groups on their territory. President Donald Trump has described the conflict with cartels as an "armed conflict" and justified the escalation as necessary to curb drug flows, but the administration has not presented documentation supporting its claims of "narcoterrorism."

The incident underscores the ongoing use of military force in drug interdiction efforts in the region, and the U.S. has not disclosed further details about the vessel’s cargo or the identities of those killed.