WASHINGTON — An alleged drug boat destroyed in a lethal “double-tap” U.S. strike in the Caribbean earlier this year was reportedly en route to Suriname, a small nation east of Venezuela, to meet with a larger vessel. This revelation comes from two sources familiar with the operation, as cited by CNN. According to U.S. intelligence, the boat was intended to transfer drugs to the second vessel, although the military was unable to locate this craft, the U.S. admiral overseeing the operation disclosed during closed Senate briefings this week.
The U.S. military struck the boat four times, initially splitting it in half and leaving two survivors clinging to the capsized hull, CNN reported on Thursday. Subsequent strikes killed the survivors and sank the vessel. The September 2 strikes marked the first instance of the U.S. military targeting vessels allegedly carrying drugs.
Legal and Ethical Scrutiny
This particular attack, along with a broader military campaign in the Caribbean—which has so far destroyed over 20 boats and resulted in more than 80 deaths—is under intense scrutiny from Congress. Lawmakers are seeking to clarify the legal foundations of these actions. While Republicans largely support the operation, citing the Trump administration’s goal to deter drug flow into the U.S., there are concerns about potential violations of the laws of armed conflict, which safeguard human rights and protect American troops.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley stated that War Secretary Pete Hegseth did not issue a “kill them all” order on the survivors of the September 2 strike. However, Democrats argue that the mission’s scope was clear: to destroy the drugs and eliminate the 11 people on board. Hegseth defended the strikes, asserting that President Donald Trump had the authority to take military action “as he sees fit” to defend the nation.
“If you’re working for a designated terrorist organization, and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you, and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it,” Hegseth declared at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
Congressional Reactions and Military Justifications
Last week, lawmakers on national security committees heard from Admiral Bradley, who ordered the initial strikes, including the follow-up that killed the two survivors. Bradley explained that a second strike was ordered on the cocaine-carrying boat to ensure that the drugs could not be retrieved later by cartel members. Initially, lawmakers were informed that the second strike was intended to sink the boat.
According to CNN, Bradley argued that the drug shipment might have eventually reached the U.S. from Suriname, justifying the strike even though the boat was not directly heading to U.S. shores at the time of the attack. Under the Trump administration’s legal opinion, drugs and drug smugglers en route to the U.S. are viewed as terrorist threats, allowing them to be targeted under the same rules as the global war on terror.
This represents a significant shift from traditional practices, which treat drug-running as a serious criminal activity typically handled by law enforcement, such as the Department of Homeland Security’s Coast Guard, rather than the military.
Expert Opinions and Future Implications
“The people in the boat, as a matter of the law of armed conflict, are not fighters,” stated Michael Schmitt, a former Air Force lawyer and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College. “All they are is transporting drugs.” Democrats have expressed concern over the Trump administration’s broad legal interpretation, which they believe could lead to misuse of lethal force and military resources.
Lawmakers are now calling for the public release of the legal argument underpinning the military campaign, a roughly 40-page opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. “This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump administration’s military activities,” Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “This must and will be only the beginning of our investigation into this incident.”
The announcement comes as the U.S. continues to grapple with the complexities of drug enforcement and military engagement in the Caribbean. The outcomes of these investigations could have lasting implications for U.S. military policy and international relations.
For more updates on this developing story and other international news, sign up for our weekly “What in the World” newsletter.
