Pentagon Admits It Has No Idea Who’s on “Drug Boats” Being Bombed

The Pentagon has admitted that the U.S. military does not verify the identities of individuals aboard vessels it targets for suspected drug trafficking before carrying out airstrikes, according to statements from Democratic Representative Sara Jacobs.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Jacobs revealed that Pentagon officials confirmed to her during a briefing that “they do not need to positively identify individuals on the vessel to conduct the strikes.” She added that this lack of identification is one reason the administration has not attempted to detain or prosecute survivors — because “they could not meet the evidentiary standard required for prosecution.”

The White House has limited access to the legal justification behind these strikes to select Republican lawmakers, leaving many Democrats — and even some Republicans — in the dark.

“There’s nothing that we heard in there that changes my assessment that this is completely illegal,” Jacobs said. “These are unlawful, extrajudicial killings conducted without evidence.” She also stated that officials told her the only drug linked to these operations so far was cocaine, which the Pentagon described as “a facilitating drug of fentanyl.”

Reports indicate that at least 61 people have been killed in over a dozen U.S. airstrikes on boats across Latin American waters. While Washington claims the vessels were smuggling drugs for “designated terrorist organizations,” several of those killed have since been identified as local fishermen, sparking outrage in countries including Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico.

Even some members of Trump’s own party have voiced concerns. Republican Representative Mike Turner and Senator Rand Paul have both criticized the actions, with Paul condemning the operations as “extrajudicial killings.”

Despite mounting backlash, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly plan to escalate the campaign. Trump has publicly suggested expanding the strikes to land targets, while Hegseth has redeployed 14 percent of the U.S. Navy fleet to the Caribbean Sea, signaling an aggressive military posture in the region.

Critics warn that the administration’s actions amount to declaring an undeclared war — one that raises serious questions about legality, accountability, and human rights.