A series of United States (US) strikes against suspected drug vessels in the eastern Pacific killed 14 alleged drug traffickers and left one survivor, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Hegseth said Mexican authorities took over the search and rescue operation for the lone survivor from the three strikes, which took place on Monday.

Last week, a strike against an alleged drug vessel killed six suspected “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean.

Hegseth said this was the first strike carried out at night as part of the campaign, which began in September.

The strike took place overnight, and the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, he added.