U.S. officials reported significant progress in Operation Southern Spear, a large-scale military and counter-narcotics campaign in the Western Hemisphere launched in September 2025, saying the mission has achieved major reductions in illicit drug trafficking activity over the past year.
According to U.S. Southern Command's counternarcotics operations, illicit maritime activity has declined 65 percent in the Western Caribbean, 60 percent in the Eastern Caribbean, and nearly 50 percent in key areas of the Eastern Pacific, officials said.
The Department of War's latest quarterly report to Congress, covering April 1 to June 30, 2026, states that U.S. military conducted airstrikes on 19 vessels suspected of being affiliated with designated terrorist organizations, with approximately 56 individuals killed or presumed dead. The previous quarter saw 12 vessels struck with 40 suspected narco-terrorists killed.
The Trump administration designated multiple drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere as foreign terrorist organizations, giving the U.S. military authority to treat them under the same rules of engagement as designated foreign terrorist organizations in other regions. Officials said the cartels are responsible for widespread violence and fentanyl distribution in the United States.
In addition to the vessel strikes, the military deployment included eight U.S. Navy and Marine Corps vessels, a P-8 patrol and reconnaissance aircraft squadron, and the Marine Corps' 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of the operation. Three vessels were redeployed in late June to support humanitarian relief operations following earthquakes in Venezuela.