U.S. forces struck a semi-submersible suspected of trafficking narcotics because it operated within the Japanese Pacific on Monday, in line with U.S. Southern Command.
Joint Job Pressure Southern Spear performed a deadly strike on the low-profile vessel transiting alongside a recognized narco trafficking route, which was believed to be operated by a chosen terrorist group. One particular person was confirmed killed within the strike, SOUTHCOM mentioned in a social media publish printed on X the identical day.
Dubbed Operation Southern Spear, U.S. forces are focusing on boats suspected of ferrying narcotics as a part of the Trump administration’s marketing campaign in opposition to drug trafficking. Thus far, 105 folks have been killed in 29 strikes.
That is the second recognized occasion of U.S. power placing a semi-submersible, with the primary being Oct. 16. It was later reported that two survivors had been rescued and held on a U.S. Navy ship earlier than being extradited to their nations of origin. It’s unclear if there have been any survivors from Monday’s strike.
Narco terrorists have been recognized to make use of semi-submersibles to hold medicine, known as “narco-submarines,” The Washington Submit beforehand reported. The submarines could be onerous to trace, each within the Pacific Ocean and in U.S. Southern Command, the place they provide the Joint Interagency Job Pressure South bother, USNI Information beforehand reported. The Marine Corps introduced final yr that they had been modeling an autonomous low-profile vessel off the narco submarines.
U.S. strikes have usually focused boats coming from Venezuela and Colombia, though the Pentagon and SOUTHCOM don’t at all times specify the origin of the boats.
It’s unclear what illicit narcotics the alleged drug boats are suspected of trafficking. Beforehand, the White Home indicated the boats are believed to be trafficking fentanyl, and Trump signed an government order final week that designated illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
Illicit fentanyl is the first explanation for overdoses in america, with artificial opioids accounting for 60 p.c of overdoses. The vast majority of these artificial opioids are fentanyl, in line with a Authorities Accountability Workplace report.
Fentanyl continues to be a think about overdoses from different medicine, as producers will minimize different medicine with fentanyl as a result of it’s cheaper. In line with the GAO report, fentanyl is especially coming into the U.S. by way of Mexico, whereas the provides to make it typically come from China. About 80 p.c of fentanyl is seized on the southern border with folks making an attempt to ferry it in passenger autos, reads the report.
Lawmakers on either side of the aisle have raised preliminary considerations in regards to the legality of the strikes, extra so after reporting by The Washington Submit and The New York Occasions on the Sept. 2 incident, which mentioned the preliminary strike left two survivors who had been killed in a follow-up strike. Since then, Republican protection leaders in Congress have launched statements saying they’re happy with the authorized justification for the strikes, whereas Democrats have known as for extra data on the strikes to be launched to the general public.
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