The U.S. military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration's monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers. Critics have questioned the overall legality of the strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India. The attacks followed the Trump administration beginning one of the largest buildups of U.S. military might in Latin America in generations as part of a pressure campaign that culminated with the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Published at: 2026-02-17 21:51:05
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