'America May Have Committed a War Crime': Pentagon Accused of 'Using Disguised Plane' to Attack Drug Boat That Killed 11 People
There are accusations Donald Trump's attack on a suspected drug boat may have been a war crime.
Jan. 13 2026, Updated 2:52 p.m. ET
There are new accusations that the U.S. may have committed a war crime during its first strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
President Trump has stepped up his war on drugs by targeting suspected narcotics boats headed to America from Venezuela.
'An Act of War Crimes'
The first targeted boat attack killed 11 suspected drug smugglers.
The controversial military strikes against ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have reportedly killed at least 80 suspected smugglers since they began in early September.
But the New York Times claims Pentagon officials used a secret aircraft deceptively painted to look like a civilian plane in its first attack, which would constitute a war crime under an offense known as "perfidy."
The plane also carried its munitions inside the fuselage, rather than visibly under its wings, to appear non-threatening.
"Shielding your identity is an element of perfidy," Retired Maj. Gen. Steven J. Lepper, a former deputy judge advocate general for the United States Air Force, told the paper. "If the aircraft flying above is not identifiable as a combatant aircraft, it should not be engaged in combatant activity."
The September 2 strike killed 11 people, all of whom were said to be on a suspected drug trafficking ship that was on a military target list.
Trump Defends the Attacks
Trump called the attacks 'necessary'
According to Pentagon sources, the air force plane dropped low enough for the people aboard the boat to see it. Two survivors of the initial attack later appeared to wave at the aircraft while floating in the ocean, possibly in a cry for help, before the military killed them in a follow-up strike.
The Trump administration defended the legality of the attacks by arguing that the US is at war with narco-terrorists.
"The U.S. military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard aircraft depending on mission requirements," Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson said in a statement.
"Prior to the fielding and employment of each aircraft, they go through a rigorous procurement process to ensure compliance with domestic law, department policies and regulations, and applicable international standards, including the law of armed conflict."
Pete Hegseth Gives the O.K.
Pete Hegseth defended the use of lethal force.
The strikes have been authorized by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has defended the use of lethal force as part of a reinvigorated war on drugs.
Hegseth said: "You're on a mission. Narco-terrorists and drug traffickers are on notice. We will no longer allow the poisoning of the American people. And the full power of the American military — used precisely with a clear mission — will be used to ensure the American people are kept safe."
While the Trump administration defended the controversial hit on the boat by insisting there were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang on board, critics have continued to push back and say the strikes are a blatant violation of due process.
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U.S. Drug 'Invasion' Underway
He said the strikes are to keep drugs out of the country.
The majority of the strikes have targeted suspected fentanyl smugglers.
Hegseth doubled down on the claim that the U.S. faced an "invasion" of fentanyl from South American cartels requiring military strength.
He said of the strike: "A foreign terrorist organization poisoning your people with drugs coming from a drug cartel is no different than Al Qaeda, and they will be treated as such."
A previously leaked ICE memo exposed the Trump administration's alleged belief that Venezuela is plotting to destroy the United States from within.
