NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The U.S. military carried out another lethal strike targeting suspected cartel operatives in the Eastern Pacific<\/a> on Monday, killing two individuals believed to be involved in narcotics trafficking, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).<\/p>\n “Applying total systemic friction on the cartels,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X. “On April 13, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the post continued. “Two male narco-terrorists<\/a> were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.”<\/p>\n The strike comes two days after SOUTHCOM conducted similar operations against two other suspected vessels operated by designated groups.<\/p>\n US, ECUADOR LAUNCH JOINT OPERATIONS TARGETING NARCO-TERROR GROUPS: SOUTHCOM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n U.S. forces killed two suspected cartel operatives in a Pacific strike, as SOUTHCOM ramps up operations targeting narcotics trafficking routes.<\/span> (U.S. Southern Command X Post)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Officials said intelligence confirmed those vessels were traveling along known drug trafficking routes<\/a> in the Eastern Pacific and were actively engaged in narcotics operations.<\/p>\n Two men were killed in the first strike and three in the second, while one individual survived the initial attack.<\/p>\n SOUTHCOM said it immediately called on the U.S. Coast Guard<\/a> to conduct search and rescue operations for the lone survivor. No U.S. forces were injured in either operation.<\/p>\n US MILITARY LAUNCHES DEADLY STRIKE ON DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN THE PACIFIC, LEAVING 2 DEAD AND 1 SURVIVOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n SOUTHCOM strikes drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, killing 4<\/span> (U.S. Southern Command)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The operations are part of a broader U.S. military effort to disrupt cartel-linked trafficking networks at sea, with officials increasingly describing such groups using terrorism-related designations.<\/p>\n The strikes were carried out under Joint Task Force Southern Spear, an ongoing mission focused on targeting transnational criminal organizations<\/a> operating along key maritime drug routes in the region.<\/p>\n The Eastern Pacific remains a major corridor for narcotics trafficking, where cartels frequently rely on small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs north toward the U.S. and Central America.<\/p>\n![\"Southern](\"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/us-military-strike-cartel-pacific-southcom-operation-001.gif\")
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