# US military kills 4 in Caribbean drug boat strike

> The Trump administration continues its monthslong offensive against alleged traffickers in Latin America with little public evidence of success.
- Title: US military kills 4 in Caribbean drug boat strike · ABC News
- Summary: The Trump administration continues its monthslong offensive against alleged traffickers in Latin America with little public evidence of success. The US…
- Keywords: us military, caribbean sea, drug trafficking, trump administration, latin america, boat strikes, southern command, panama, colombia, guatemala, honduras, ecuador
- Source: ABC News — https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/us-military-killed-strike-alleged-drug-smuggling-boat-136592914
- Author: ABC News
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: us military, caribbean sea, drug trafficking, trump administration, latin america, boat strikes, southern command, panama, colombia, guatemala, honduras, ecuador
## Military strikes boat in Caribbean
The US military attacked a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, killing four people as part of its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers.
## Death toll reaches 231 in 69 strikes
Since the Trump administration began targeting alleged narcoterrorists nearly a year ago, at least 231 people have been killed in 69 boat strikes across the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
## No evidence boats carried drugs
The military has not provided evidence that the targeted vessel was ferrying drugs. A video showed only a moving boat followed by a flash.
## Expanding operations across Latin America
The Trump administration is pursuing deals with allied nations to extend military operations to land. Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras have reportedly agreed to joint operations, though Guatemala denied the deal.
## Trump frames as armed conflict
President Trump has said the US is in armed conflict with cartels and justified the attacks as necessary to stop drug flows and overdose deaths in America.

> the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America
## Little evidence supports claims
The Trump administration has offered minimal evidence to support its claims of killing smugglers, raising questions about the accuracy of its targeting and the effectiveness of the campaign.
## Key takeaway

The US military has killed at least 231 people in 69 boat strikes over nearly a year targeting suspected drug smugglers, but has provided minimal evidence the vessels actually carried drugs.