Key Takeaways

• President Trump has ordered deadly strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
• At least 18 vessels were destroyed and over 64 people killed without proof of drug smuggling.
• These attacks mark a sharp escalation in the U.S. war on drugs at sea.
• A long history of drug policies by past presidents set the stage for today’s violence.

Since his second term began, President Trump has unleashed a deadly campaign at sea. Surveillance videos show fast boats disappear in bright flashes. The Pentagon claims these boats ran drugs. Yet no evidence or arrests back that claim. Instead, at least 64 people—fishermen, migrants, or alleged smugglers—have died.

Why Trump’s Sea Raids Matter

First, the kill rate has soared. In early September, U.S. forces struck one boat every eight days. By October, they hit one every two days. For a stretch in late October, they attacked daily. On October 27 alone, four boats went down. Second, the attacks span the Caribbean off Venezuela to the Pacific coasts of Colombia and Peru. Third, these strikes turn a crime-fighting mission into a lethal war. Finally, they raise urgent legal and moral questions.

How Trump’s Strikes Escalate the War on Drugs

President Trump insists these attacks serve the broader war on drugs. He has even said, “We’re gonna kill people. They’re gonna be, like, dead.” His vice president joked about murdering fishermen. Meanwhile, no Congress votes authorized these raids. Instead, Trump claims wartime powers let him attack any vessel he labels criminal. As a result, U.S. forces now act like a death squad at sea.

A Short History of the War on Drugs

To understand today’s sea raids, we need to look back. The modern war on drugs began over fifty years ago. Each president added new layers of violence and authority.

Nixon’s Launch of the War on Drugs

In 1971, President Nixon declared a “new, all-out offensive” on drugs. Reporters quickly called it the war on drugs. By 1973, Nixon had formed the Drug Enforcement Agency. DEA agents joined Mexican police to hunt down farmers. They used military sweeps and even sprayed chemicals from the air. These tactics did not stop production. Instead, they pushed small farmers into violent cartels.

Ford, Carter, and the Supply-Side Push

President Ford shifted focus from U.S. demand to foreign supply. He sent more DEA agents to Latin America. President Carter spoke of treatment over prison. Yet he let the DEA expand to 25 foreign offices. Thus, the drugs trade remained a military-style fight.

Reagan and the Deep State Connection

Under President Reagan, the war on drugs grew linked to anti-communism. The CIA worked with drug networks in Latin America. At the same time, the DEA fought those same groups. U.S. covert operations sometimes used drug money to fund secret wars. Meanwhile, U.S. law enforcement used drug charges to break political movements at home.

The Bush Years and TV Spectacle

George H.W. Bush made a show of the war on drugs. He filmed himself holding crack cocaine seized in an undercover sting. That sting planted drugs in a poor Washington D.C. neighborhood. The Black teenager arrested spent eight years in prison. Meanwhile, Bush sent 30,000 troops to Panama to arrest a former CIA ally.

Clinton, Plan Colombia, and Private Contractors

President Clinton kept mandatory minimum sentences. He launched Plan Colombia in 2000. The U.S. paid mercenary firms to spray chemicals and gather intelligence. Those efforts led to mass civilian deaths and more coca cultivation. Today, coca fields have doubled since Plan Colombia began.

George W. Bush and the Global Terror Link

After 9/11, President George W. Bush tied the war on drugs to the war on terror. He increased funding for military and intelligence missions in Latin America. He even urged Mexico to deploy its army against cartels. Those battles claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Obama, Decriminalization Talk, and Ongoing Funding

President Obama backed treatment over jail. He pardoned many low-level offenders. Yet his administration kept funding Plan Colombia and Plan Mérida. These programs sent U.S. agents and equipment abroad to fight cartels.

Trump’s First Term: A Preview of Boat Raids

In May 2017, DEA agents and Honduran forces opened fire on a boat of innocent civilians. Four died, including pregnant women and a child. Ten U.S. agents faced no punishment. That incident foreshadowed today’s sea strikes.

Biden’s Limited Retreat

President Biden cut back on aerial drug fumigation in Colombia. He pardoned thousands convicted of federal pot crimes. Still, he kept funding the DEA and military missions overseas.

Trump Returns and Expands the War on Drugs

In August 2025, the DEA claimed to arrest top cartel members in New England. Yet local news found most suspects were small-scale sellers or addicts. Claiming war powers, President Trump now attacks boats at sea without proof. He vows to bomb Mexico labs or strike Venezuela if he chooses.

Why the War on Drugs Never Ends Well

Because each president builds on past policies, violence grows. Military-style tactics create more cartels, not fewer. Secret operations hide crimes from public view. Death squads thrive when no one asks hard questions. At sea, Trump’s boat raids show that a war framed as crime-fighting can become mass killing. Unless leaders shift to public health and human rights, the war on drugs will never end well.

FAQs

What legal power lets Trump attack boats?

Trump claims wartime authority to fight drug traffickers. Yet no clear law grants him power to kill civilians at sea.

Are any charges pending for these attacks?

So far, no evidence or formal charges have been made public. The White House only released aerial videos.

How many people have died in these boat strikes?

At least 64 civilians died in 18 boat attacks by U.S. forces in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Can the war on drugs be won with military force?

History shows violence fuels more drug production and cartels. Many experts call for health and education approaches instead.