President Donald Trump announced a third strike on a drug boat on Friday, which killed three alleged “narcoterrorists.”
Trump said he directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to conduct the strike. An accompanying video shows a boat cruising through the water before being blown up.
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“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans. The strike killed 3 male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel, which was in international waters. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!” he added.
It’s unclear where exactly the strike took place, though Trump noted it was “along a known narcotrafficking passage” in international waters.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 19, 2025
Hegseth reposted Trump’s Truth Social post and posted a video of the strike.
A Venezuelan drug boat was struck earlier this week, also killing three. The first strike took place several weeks ago, with some questions as to the legality of the action.
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Hegseth warned drug cartels earlier this week that the Department of War will actively track and kill them.
“Narco-terrorists are enemies of the United States — actively bringing death to our shores. We will stop at nothing to defend our homeland and our citizens. We will track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere — at the times and places of our choosing,” he wrote on social media.