U.S. Strike Kills 3 on Suspected Drug Boat, Pushing Campaign Death Toll to 202

12 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 30

Three men died in a Friday U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, the third such attack this week in Washington's expanding campaign against cartel-linked vessels.
U.S. Southern Command said the boat was engaged in narco-trafficking for a designated terrorist organization and that Gen. Francis L. Donovan directed the strike, but it offered no evidence for the claim.
The latest attack lifted the toll from the strikes that began in early September to at least 202, a figure that has risen further because some people first reported as survivors have not been found.
Video released by the command showed the small vessel exploding in a fireball; the post came as Donovan met Cuban military leaders near the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay.
The campaign faces growing legal scrutiny after reports that a Sept. 2 attack included a follow-on strike on people fleeing the first blast, prompting some lawmakers to question whether it amounted to a war crime.

Is America's high-tech war on cartels forcing smugglers to create smarter, more resilient trafficking routes?

When does a drug smuggler become a terrorist deserving a missile strike instead of a trial?