On May 8, at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.
Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action, and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor. No U.S. military forces were harmed. This is the third reported strike on a drug both this week with seven reported dead.