Death Toll in Trump’s Strikes on Suspected Drug Runners Tops 100

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Since early September, President Donald Trump has overseen a U.S. military campaign targeting boats accused of smuggling drugs through the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that has now killed more than 100 people, according to a detailed investigation by The New York Times.

The operation began Sept. 2, with the U.S. military carrying out airstrikes against vessels the Trump administration says were involved in maritime drug trafficking. Announcements from the White House, the Pentagon, and U.S. Southern Command show dozens of strikes since then, with the death toll surpassing 100 after two attacks on Dec. 18 — “nearly one for each day since the Trump administration operation began,” per the Times‘ Carol Rosenberg on X.

As Rosenberg and fellow Times reporters Lazaro Gamio and Charlie Savage explained, the use of military force marks a change from prior U.S. drug enforcement policy at sea. In past years, suspected smuggling operations in the Caribbean were typically handled by the Coast Guard, sometimes with Navy assistance, with crews detained and referred for prosecution if drugs were found.

Legal scholars who spoke with the Times questioned whether the current approach complies with U.S. and international law. They argued that the military generally lacks the authority to use lethal force against civilians who are suspected of criminal activity but are not engaged in active hostilities.

Trump administration officials have pushed back on that criticism. In a notice to Congress cited by the Times, the White House said Trump had concluded that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels and that people operating smuggling vessels should be treated as enemy combatants.

The administration has also tied the campaign to the U.S. overdose crisis. But according to the Times, “A surge in overdoses over the past decade was mostly caused by fentanyl that comes from labs in Mexico, not cocaine that comes on boats from South America.”

Lawmakers from across the aisle continue to express negative opinions on the strikes, with Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) voicing his “very grave concern” last weekend on ABC News because “these individuals are not being subject to criminal prosecution.”

Notably, earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order officially designating fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction.”

In a Thursday phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump spoke on the possibility of a war with Venezuela. “I don’t rule it out, no,” he said. He went on to refuse to comment on whether he’s trying to get rid of Nicolás Maduro’s government, claiming the Venezuelan president “knows exactly what I want… better than anybody.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!