Alleged drug smugglers jumped overboard in recent boat strikes, U.S. military says
Washington — Individuals on board two alleged drug smuggling boats jumped into the water after an initial strike on another boat on Tuesday, the U.S. military said.
U.S. Southern Command announced Wednesday that three "narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy" were struck in "international waters" a day earlier. Three people were killed when the first boat was hit, according to Southern Command.
"The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels," Southern Command said, adding that the U.S. Coast Guard had been notified for search-and-rescue efforts.
In a separate statement, the Coast Guard said it was notified Tuesday about "mariners in distress in the Pacific Ocean."
"The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating search-and-rescue operations with vessels in the area, and a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft is en route to provide further search coverage with the ability to drop a survival raft and supplies," the statement said.
As many as eight people abandoned the remaining two vessels, three U.S. officials told CBS News. One of the officials said the strikes were conducted in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
A 46-second video of the strikes did not appear to show any survivors in the water.
The U.S. military also said it conducted strikes Wednesday on two vessels, killing five people, Southern Command said later in the day, bringing the estimated death toll in the monthslong military campaign against alleged drug smugglers to at least 115.
"Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second," Southern Command said.
The Trump administration's handling of survivors has come under intense scrutiny, with some critics accusing it of committing potential war crimes after a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 killed two survivors. Two men who survived a strike in the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 16 were detained by the U.S. Navy and repatriated to their countries of origin, prompting questions about the danger the Trump administration has claimed alleged drug traffickers pose to the U.S. Strikes on Oct. 27 in the Pacific left one survivor, who has since been presumed dead.
Members of Congress — mostly Democrats — have sought to rein in the boat strikes, which come as the Trump administration escalates pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The administration has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies.
Lawmakers have raised the alarm that the strikes, which have not been authorized by Congress, could lead to war with Venezuela and have questioned their legality.
President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened land strikes against Venezuela, said the U.S. "knocked out" a "big facility" last week linked to the alleged drug smuggling operations, but his administration has provided few details on the matter.
"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," Mr. Trump told reporters Monday in Florida.
Many Republicans have defended the strikes, including after the administration acknowledged that two survivors of the Sept. 2 boat attack were killed in a follow-up strike.
Both critics and defenders of the Sept. 2 follow-up strike have called for the video to be released to the public, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon has no plans to do so.