BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA – The family of a Colombian fisherman is demanding answers after he went missing following a United States military strike on his vessel in the Caribbean Sea in mid-September. The incident is part of a broader, aggressive new US counter-narcotics campaign that has killed at least 83 people since it began, raising significant legal and diplomatic concerns across the Western Hemisphere.

Alejandro Carranza, 40, a fisherman from the coastal city of Santa Marta, left for sea on Sunday, 14 September 2025, and never returned, his family told Colombian media. His cousin, Audenis Manjarres, stated that the family recognized his boat in a video released by former US President Donald Trump on 16 September, which announced the sinking of an alleged drug-running boat. The family contends Carranza’s boat may have had engine trouble and was adrift when it was targeted.

The strike is one of at least 21 lethal attacks the US has conducted on vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since early September 2025 under a new policy targeting what it calls “narco-terrorists.” According to US officials, the campaign, dubbed ‘Operation Southern Spear’, is aimed at staunching the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated the mission is to remove “narco-terrorists from our hemisphere” and secure the US from “the drugs that are killing our people.”

A Shift in US Anti-Drug Policy

This campaign marks a significant departure from previous US anti-drug efforts, which historically prioritized law enforcement interdiction by agencies like the Coast Guard, leading to arrests and trials. The new strategy, initiated under a second Trump administration, involves direct military force and lethal strikes without judicial process. The administration has justified the attacks by declaring the US is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which it has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This legal framing, however, is contested by numerous international law experts and human rights organizations, who argue the strikes amount to unlawful extrajudicial killings.

Since the campaign began, at least 83 individuals have been killed across 21 strikes on 22 vessels as of 16 November 2025. The US has released limited evidence to support its claims that the individuals targeted were involved in drug trafficking or terrorism. This lack of transparency has fueled criticism from regional leaders and international bodies, including the United Nations.

Diplomatic Fallout and Regional Concerns

The killing of Alejandro Carranza has sparked a diplomatic rift between the United States and Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned the strike as a violation of his country's sovereignty and an “assassination” of a humble fisherman. “The United States has invaded our national territory, firing a missile to kill a humble fisherman,” Petro stated on social media, demanding an explanation from Washington. The Trump administration has dismissed Petro's claims as baseless.

The broader military buildup in the Caribbean, which includes the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and thousands of personnel, has alarmed other Latin American nations. Leaders like Brazil's President Lula da Silva have urged a regional confrontation of the US actions, while analysts suggest the true motive behind the operation may be to exert pressure for regime change in Venezuela, a country whose leader, Nicolás Maduro, the US has accused of heading a drug cartel.

Global Context and Implications for East Africa

While this conflict is geographically centered in the Americas, its implications are global. The aggressive, militarized US approach signals a potential paradigm shift in the international “war on drugs.” For regions like East Africa, which serve as significant transit corridors for narcotics flowing from Asia to Europe, any major disruption in trafficking routes in the Western Hemisphere could have ripple effects.

Security analysts note that enhanced pressure in the Caribbean could lead trafficking syndicates to explore or expand alternative routes. The East African coastline, with its porous borders and instances of official corruption, presents a vulnerable alternative for transnational criminal organizations. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has previously noted a significant increase in heroin and cocaine seizures in East Africa, indicating its growing importance as a transshipment hub. A more volatile and militarized anti-drug environment in the Americas could inadvertently increase the volume and value of narcotics trafficked through countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, posing heightened security and governance challenges for the region.

Back in Colombia, the Carranza family waits, caught between a geopolitical struggle and personal tragedy. “We are people who live from the sea,” his father, Alejandro Elias Carranza, told reporters. “We only ask the government to tell us the truth.” Their plea for clarity underscores the human cost of a remote and escalating conflict, the full consequences of which are yet to be seen.