{"id":120753,"date":"2026-01-08T01:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/?p=120753"},"modified":"2026-01-20T08:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:54:31","slug":"collection-u-s-lethal-strikes-on-suspected-drug-traffickers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/120753\/collection-u-s-lethal-strikes-on-suspected-drug-traffickers\/","title":{"rendered":"Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers, Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning on Sept. 2, 2025, the United States military has carried out a series of unprecedented strikes against vessels suspected of narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, destroying the vessels and reportedly killing 87 people, with two known survivors repatriated, as of Dec. 12. The Trump administration has claimed it is in a \u201cnon-international armed conflict\u201d with unspecified gangs and drug cartels, governed by the law of armed conflict. <\/span>In this collection, experts analyze the legality of the strikes under domestic and international law, how suspected narcotics trafficking at sea is normally addressed by the U.S. government and how these strikes deviate from that practice, the consequences for when and how the president may unilaterally order the military to employ lethal force, the applicability of domestic criminal laws prohibiting murder and international human rights law prohibiting extrajudicial killing, and a range of related issues. <\/span><\/p>\n

The collection now also includes analysis of more recent boarding and seizure of vessels, including U.S. sanctioned oil tankers, and the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that removed President Maduro from power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Informational Resources<\/b><\/h3>\n