On October 17, 2025, US Southern Command forces conducted a precision strike against a vessel identified as belonging to the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) in international waters near the Colombian coast. The operation resulted in the deaths of three individuals and reportedly disrupted a cocaine trafficking operation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the action, stating it was the seventh such interdiction under the current administration.

Story Highlights

• US military forces engaged a vessel identified as an ELN drug trafficking operation.
• Three individuals were killed during the precision strike.
• The operation disrupted a significant cocaine shipment in Caribbean waters.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike, noting it as the seventh interdiction under the Trump administration.

US intelligence assets had reportedly tracked the vessel for two days before forces from the USS William P. Lawrence engaged the target. The ELN, Colombia’s second-largest guerrilla organization, has been involved in both terrorist activities and criminal enterprises since 1964, including maritime drug trafficking.

💥🚢 President Donald Trump announces a fatal strike on a drug smuggling boat affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization. The strike targeted narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area, eliminating 3 male narcoterrorists. No harm to U.S. Forces. StopDrugTrafficking 🛑🌊… pic.twitter.com/mfQTWqUasV

— LynneP (@LynneBP_294) October 20, 2025

The ELN’s expansion of maritime drug trafficking, utilizing vessels to smuggle cocaine towards Central America and the United States, has been cited as a threat to American security. The group is described as combining ideological extremism with criminal enterprise, generating revenue through narcotics sales.

Previous peace negotiations between the ELN and the Colombian government have reportedly collapsed, with the group continuing its operations despite diplomatic efforts.

Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasized the operation’s success in protecting American national security interests and stated that it was conducted under existing counter-narcotics agreements. Colombian officials have acknowledged the cooperation and initiated their own investigation into ELN maritime trafficking networks.

Watch the report: Trump Administration Strikes 7th Drug Boat: 3 Killed by US Military, Hegseth Reveals

Sources:

US bombs another drug-smuggling ship, killing three
Trump administration strikes a seventh alleged drug boat
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