New ocean. New tactics. Same Trump administration result.
One day after Colombian President Gustavo Petro suggested one option to change relations with the U.S. was to “get rid of Trump,” it was a drug-smuggling boat off his own coast that was eliminated.
The drug-running ship was destroyed Tuesday in the first strike taking place in the Pacific Ocean, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced in a post on X.
“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific,” he posted along with a video of the vessel being destroyed.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
The vessel was known by our intelligence to be… pic.twitter.com/BayDhUZ4Ac
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 22, 2025
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route, and carrying narcotics,” he posted.
“There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,” he wrote.
Hegseth said the Trump administration is blanketing the Western Hemisphere to protect America.
Do you agree with these strikes?
“Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice,” he wrote.
The strike was the eighth attack since early September, and brought the number of drug runners killed to 34, according to The New York Times.
This was the first attack outside of the Caribbean.
A U.S. official whom the Times did not name said the incident took place off the coast of Colombia.
The Tuesday attack followed comments published Monday in which Petro talked about changing Trump’s policy toward his nation.
🚨#BREAKING In an interview with @UniNoticias, Colombia’s narcoterrorist-in-chief, Gustavo Petro, has just threatened to “overthrow” President Trump.
Petro threats must be taken seriously, he is a genuine threat to the safety & security of our hemisphere.pic.twitter.com/L2JMGKMUF0
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) October 21, 2025
“The easiest way may be through Trump himself,” Petro said in a Univision interview, according to the New York Post. “If not — get rid of Trump.”
Pedro’s comments followed a post on Truth Social, in which President Donald Trump said the Colombian leader “is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia.”
“It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” Trump wrote.
🚨WHOA. President Trump drops the hammer on Colombia’s President Petro, calling him a “thug” and cutting off all U.S. payments to Colombia.
“He’s a thug. He’s a guy making a lot of drugs. We just, as of today, stopped all payments going to Colombia.”
pic.twitter.com/g5KXOgr5S6— Jack (@jackunheard) October 22, 2025
“The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc. Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote.
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