On March 8, 2026, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel allegedly affiliated with “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” reportedly killing six men described as “narco-terrorists” in the Eastern Pacific.

This strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command @Southcom on Twitter/X on March 8th. The statement detailed that “at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan” the strike was on a vessel which intelligence confirmed allegedly “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” In a video included in the post, a stationary boat floating in the water is seen exploding into flames and smoke.

The LA Times reported in July 2026 that two men from Puerto San Carlos, Mexico named Enrique Meza and his son, known as Kikín, were both killed in the U.S. strike in the Pacific on March 8th. Their deaths were first reported by local outlets Debate and @alfredoalvarez1 on Twitter/X which included images of the two men, one where they can be seen on a boat and another with individual images of both men in baseball hats for American baseball teams.

Methodological note about classification of those killed in this incident

In documenting this incident, Airwars is following the guidance outlined by independent International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law experts, whereby those on the vessels are understood to be civilians, given that the legal framework in which the strikes are being conducted remains in question.

Airwars has therefore included a civilian casualty count of six deaths.