Cocaine Seizures and Deadly Strikes in Pacific

The French navy has seized over 4 tons of cocaine from a ship in the south Pacific and intercepted a boat trafficking cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. The country's armed forces minister, Catherine Vautrin, announced the seizures on Thursday, stating that the vessel in the Pacific was from Central America and believed to be bound for South Africa. The cargo was destroyed at sea, and the vessel and its crew were freed under international law. This is not the first time the French navy has made a significant cocaine seizure, as they seized almost five tons of cocaine last month. The United Nations has reported that organized crime groups trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine have expanded their presence in the Pacific, with French Polynesia being affected by significant methamphetamine use.

The US military conducted a strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, as part of Operation Southern Spear. This is the second known attack of the year, bringing the total number of people killed in such strikes to at least 119. The Trump administration has presented the campaign as aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking, but lawmakers and human rights groups have questioned the legality and basis of the strikes, arguing that potential drug traffickers should face prosecution instead.

The US military carried out a strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people. This is the latest in a series of attacks on alleged drug boats that have been ongoing since September 2025. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that some top cartel drug-traffickers have decided to cease operations due to recent kinetic strikes, but this claim was not backed up with evidence. The strikes have resulted in the deaths of 128 people, with many experts questioning the legal justification of the attacks. The families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in a previous strike have sued the federal government, calling the attack a war crime.