U.S. military strikes another drug boat in Caribbean, Hegseth compares narco-traffickers to Al-Qaeda

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military struck another drug-running boat in the Caribbean, killing three men in the latest effort to curb narco-trafficking to the United States.

Hegseth said late Saturday the latest strike was ordered by President Donald Trump, and he posted a short video on X of a missile hitting the vessel in international waters.

"This vessel—like EVERY OTHER—was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," Hegseth wrote in a social post . 

"These narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home—and they will not succeed. The Department will treat them EXACTLY how we treated Al-Qaeda. We will continue to track them, map them, hunt them, and kill them," he added.

The strike brings to 67 the total number of alleged drug traffickers that the Trump administration has killed in military strikes since Trump designated the drug cartels as terrorist organizations earlier this year.