4 Dead in SOUTHCOM Strike on Go-fast Vessel

Moments before a suspected narco boat is struck, Aug. 25, 2026. US Southern Command image Forces with Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere struck a go-fast vessel suspected of drug trafficking on Tuesday, according to U.S. Southern Command.

The strike – the second in August – killed four people, bringing the total death toll to 227. There have been a total of 68 strikes since President Donald Trump announced the first in September 2025.

Tuesday’s strike was in the Caribbean Sea. A strike on Monday – the first in August – was in the Eastern Pacific, USNI News previously reported.

“Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere continues executing precise, lethal operations against the cartels. We will hunt, disrupt and defeat these narco-terrorist networks. SOUTHCOM is resolved to neutralizing cartel terror and violence throughout the region and into the U.S. homeland,” SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis Donovan said in the social media post.

Strikes against suspected drug traffickers resumed in late August after two months of no strikes. It is unclear why the strikes were paused or why they have resumed.

It is also not clear what effect the strikes have had on the drug trade in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data do not show a significant decrease in fatal overdoses since the strikes began.

Fatal overdoses have been on the decline since August 2023, according to CDC data.