A suspected narco boat in U.S. Southern Command, April 15, 2026. US SOUTHCOM image
Joint Task Force Southern Spear struck the third suspected narco boat in three days, U.S. Southern Command announced late Wednesday.
Forces with the joint task force struck a boat allegedly carrying illicit narcotics in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday, according to SOUTHCOM post on social media site X. It is the 52nd strike since President Donald Trump announced strikes against alleged drug boats on Sept. 1. 
Three men were killed in the strike, bringing the total to at least 176 people. A strike on Saturday left one survivor, but there has not been an update on the search and rescue operations. 
Wednesday’s strike makes the third one in three days and the fifth one since Saturday. It is just the second time since the strikes in SOUTHCOM began that the U.S. conducted strikes over three consecutive days. The first time was in December. 
There have been more strikes in the first half of April than in all of March.
The strikes come after Trump said Monday on Truth Social that 98.2 percent of illicit drugs coming into the country by water were stopped by the strikes.
The build up of U.S. naval ships in SOUTHCOM’s area of response has dissipated since the war in Iran began at the end of February. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, originally stationed in the Caribbean, left for the Middle East. 
Two ships of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group remain in the Caribbean while flagship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) was in port in Mayport, Fla., as of Monday, according to USNI News’ Fleet and Marine Tracker. 
Amphibious warships USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), USS San Antonio (LPD-17), guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings (LCS-15) remain the Caribbean.