As a result of the US strike on a drug smuggler's vessel, people have died 0 18

The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), responsible for American forces in the region, reported on the social network X that "the vessel was following known drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and was involved in drug smuggling operations."

The administration of US President Donald Trump has been conducting a military campaign against drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since September. As a result of these strikes on drug smuggler vessels near Venezuela, at least 170 people have died.

However, the Trump administration has not provided clear evidence that these vessels were indeed involved in drug smuggling, and the legality of such strikes is fiercely debated.

Experts in international law and human rights organizations believe that these strikes are equivalent to extrajudicial killings, as they target civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US.