The US military campaign against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific has marked one year with a death toll exceeding 220 people. ^[1] At least 227 people have died and 68 boats have been destroyed during the first year of the US military operation against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to counts by various media and organizations. ^[2] One year after the US military began attacking suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, the operation known as 'Lanza del Sur' has resulted in at least 227 deaths. ^[3] On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the neutralization of a drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, which he claimed killed 11 people. ^[4] President Donald Trump explained to journalists in the Oval Office on September 2, 2025, that the Pentagon had just neutralized a drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean. ^[5] The campaign, later named 'Lanza del Sur', has seen at least 68 boats destroyed and no fewer than 227 people killed according to a consensus of various media sources. ^[6] Trump shared videos on social media showing a boat becoming a ball of fire after a kinetic attack, claiming it involved 11 deaths and targeted the Venezuelan criminal band Tren de Aragua. ^[7] Later it was learned that two boats were attacked and a second attack killed two survivors who were in the water. ^[8] Legal experts and US lawmakers said the second attack could constitute a war crime, but the campaign continued. ^[9] President Donald Trump stated on September 2, 2025, that the Pentagon had neutralized a boat transporting a large quantity of drugs in the Caribbean. ^[10] Trump described the targets as 'narcoterrorists' from the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua and claimed the operation killed 11 people. ^[11] It was later revealed that the September 2, 2025 operation involved two boats and a second wave of attacks on survivors, resulting in additional deaths. ^[12]