At least 200 people have been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats after forces with Joint Task Force – Operation Southern Spear hit two boats over the weekend.
The U.S. struck two boats in the Eastern Pacific – one on Friday and one on Saturday – killing three men in each strike. The six deaths bring Operation Southern Spear’s total death toll to at least 200. There are at least five survivors whose status are unknown but are likely presumed dead.
The U.S. conducted seven strikes in May, one less than in April, with all but one strike in the Eastern Pacific, according to data compiled by USNI News. There have been a total of 62 strikes announced since President Donald Trump revealed the first one in early September 2025.
The U.S. has continued to keep a relatively steady pace of strikes despite the shift in attention toward Iran. In addition to the strikes in April and May, there were three in March, eight in February and one in January.
Operation Southern Spear strikes have continued despite a diminished naval presence in U.S. Southern Command. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked on USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), return home Monday, while USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) – the last ship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group – will remain in the Caribbean with the 24th MEU, operating under Littoral Combat Force-24. Iwo Jima is expected to return home to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in the coming days after nearly 10 months. USS San Antonio (LPD-17) returned home in April after nearly eight months.
Guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings (LCS-15) are also operating in the Caribbean.
The U.S. Coast Guard also continues to conduct interdiction missions. On Friday, the service announced that it seized about 900 pounds of cocaine from a vessel off the coast of Cape Florida, Fla.
