In a report released by UN special rapporteur Ben Saul, the use of missile strikes by the U.S. military against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean is condemned as serial extrajudicial killings which may be crimes against humanity. At least 231 deaths have been recorded through 69 strikes, including four recent deaths, under a mission that the Trump Administration considers self-defense from "narco-terrorists" and Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Although the U.S. government asserts that its attacks are being monitored by lawyers in relation to the use of drone and fighter jets in the operation, Saul's report, backed by UN experts, has identified that the mission breaks international humanitarian, counter-terrorism, and maritime laws, stating that trafficking cannot be considered an armed military strike.

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