The U.S. military conducted two airstrikes this week on suspected drug boats in the eastern Pacific, marking the first such attacks in the region as part of an expanding campaign against narcotics trafficking.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said five people were killed in the strikes, which took place in international waters and targeted vessels believed to be smuggling cocaine.

The operations bring the total number of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats to nine, with 37 people reported killed so far.

The campaign has stirred international tension, especially between President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, amid accusations of extrajudicial killings, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

Officials say traffickers are increasingly using Pacific routes through Colombia and Ecuador as cocaine production and smuggling continue to surge across the region.