Washington – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs, killing six people in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and the death toll to at least 75 people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that many see as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth posted on social media.

The Trump administration has provided no evidence for its assertions, a

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