JTF Southern Spear killed 2 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 36th strike, ~117 campaign deaths
On January 23, 2026, Joint Task Force Southern Spear, operating at the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people and leaving one survivor. The strike was characterized by SOUTHCOM as targeting "Designated Terrorist Organizations" engaged in narco-trafficking, yet no public evidence was provided identifying the victims or their alleged activities. This was the 36th strike in the Southern Spear campaign since September 2025, resuming after a three-week gap following the January 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Actors
On January 23, 2026, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean at the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The strike killed two people and left one survivor, who was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. SOUTHCOM stated that the vessel was "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" engaged in "narco-trafficking operations," but provided no public evidence identifying the victims or supporting these allegations.
This strike marked the resumption of the Southern Spear campaign after a three-week pause following the January 3, 2026 capture and extrajudicial rendition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The strike was the 36th in the campaign since its formal launch in September 2025, bringing the total killed to approximately 117 people. As with all Southern Spear strikes, no public evidence was presented that those killed were involved in drug trafficking, nor were the victims identified by name or given any opportunity to contest the accusations against them.
Legal experts and human rights organizations have consistently characterized Southern Spear strikes as extrajudicial killings—executions carried out without judicial process, without legal charges, and without any due process protection. The Trump administration has invoked a broad interpretation of executive war powers to authorize these strikes in international waters, acting unilaterally without congressional authorization or declaration of war.
Why we recorded this
Operation Southern Spear represents an extraordinary escalation of executive power: lethal military strikes in international waters, authorized unilaterally by the President's Secretary of Defense, without congressional declaration of war, judicial process, or public identification of the targets. This strike is part of that pattern. The United States executed two individuals without trial, without public evidence of their guilt, without opportunity for defense. This is the core erosion the archive tracks—the systematic substitution of executive judgment for due process, and the claim of war-powers authority where none exists in law.
Sources
- Lethal Kinetic Strike - Jan 23 2026 — SOUTHCOM primary accessed June 18, 2026
- Dead in U.S. Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat in Eastern Pacific — NBC News secondary accessed June 18, 2026
- Timeline of Vessel Strikes and Related Actions — Just Security secondary accessed June 18, 2026
See also
- JTF Southern Spear killed two aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 38th strike, ~131 campaign deaths
- JTF Southern Spear killed 3 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 9th strike, ~16 campaign deaths
- JTF Southern Spear killed 6 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 19th strike, ~73 campaign deaths
- JTF Southern Spear killed 4 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 20th strike, ~79 campaign deaths
- CIA drone strike hits dock on Venezuela's coast — first known U.S. attack on Venezuelan soil