{"id":2590558,"date":"2026-04-14T09:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/multitasking-pentagon-wipes-out-drug-runners-off-us-coast-amid-crippling-iranian-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:52:13","slug":"multitasking-pentagon-wipes-out-drug-runners-off-us-coast-amid-crippling-iranian-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/multitasking-pentagon-wipes-out-drug-runners-off-us-coast-amid-crippling-iranian-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Multitasking: Pentagon Wipes Out Drug Runners Off US Coast Amid Crippling Iranian Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmultitasking-pentagon-wipes-out-drug-runners-off-us-coast-amid-crippling-iranian-campaign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2590558&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece reports that,with global attention on the Middle East,the U.S. military is still <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pursuing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-killing-u-s-energy-production-the-biden-administration-is-negotiating-with-venezuelan-terrorists-for-oil\/\" title=\"After Killing U.S. Energy Production, The Biden Administration Is Negotiating With Venezuelan Terrorists For Oil\">narco-trafficking<\/a> networks<\/a> in the Eastern Pacific and South america. It highlights a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-posts-footage-of-lethal-kinetic-strike-against-narcoterrorists-in-international-waters\/\" title=\"... ...s Footage of &#039;Lethal Kinetic Strike&#039; Against Narcoterrorists in International Waters\">lethal kinetic strike<\/a> on a vessel operated by designated terrorist organizations on April 13 under Joint Task Force Southern Spear, directed by Gen. Francis L.Donovan, with intelligence indicating the vessel was engaged in narco-trafficking; two narco-terrorists were killed and there were no U.S. injuries. NBC News is cited as saying the Trump administration has carried out about 50 attacks against narco-terrorists since September, destroying 51 ships and killing 170 people, with two additional attacks on the preceding Saturday. CBS News questions whether the military could be certain it was striking narco-terrorists, while the Pentagon emphasizes a rigorous, multi-source intelligence process used to confirm illicit activity before operations.The article also notes Donald Trump\u2019s post claiming thes tactics could be applied against Iran and touts results like \u201c98.2% of drugs\u201d supposedly stopped, alongside other promotional or commentary content embedded in the piece.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>With most of the world&rsquo;s eyes on the Middle East, America&rsquo;s military is still watching drug runners trying to bring poison into the United States from South America.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Southern Command noted the most recent destruction of narco-terrorists whose products cripple Americans in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Southcom\/status\/2043831574764921318?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Applying total systemic friction on the cartels,&rdquo; the post began,<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Applying total systemic friction on the cartels. On April 13, at the direction of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SOUTHCOM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SOUTHCOM<\/a> commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zZQKEPiSoI\">pic.twitter.com\/zZQKEPiSoI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Southcom\/status\/2043831574764921318?\">April 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;On April 13, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,&rdquo; the post continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-video-trump-takes-out-big-batch-of-narco-terrorists-in-highly-effective-3-boat-strike\/\" title=\"Late Breaking Video: ... Takes Out Big Batch of Narco Terrorists in Highly Effective 3-Boat Strike\">narco-trafficking routes<\/a> in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colombian-president-claims-trumps-venezuela-fight-is-about-oil\/\" title=\"Colombian president claims ...&#039;s Venezuela fight is &#039;about oil&#039;\">narco-trafficking operations<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The post said two narco-terrorists were killed with no injuries to U.S. service members.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/military\/dead-us-military-strike-alleged-drug-boat-eastern-pacific-rcna331652\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>, the Trump administration has now carried out 50 attacks against narco-terrorists.<\/p>\n<p>In those attacks, which began in September, 51 ships have been destroyed and 170 people have been killed.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Monday&rsquo;s attack, two attacks were carried out on Saturday, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2026\/04\/13\/5-killed-in-u-s-strikes-on-suspected-narco-boats-in-eastern-pacific\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USNI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Those attacks left one survivor. The Coast Guard was contacted to pick up that individual.<\/p>\n<p>After <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/amp\/news\/us-military-alleged-drug-boat-strike-eastern-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a> questioned whether the military was sure it was blowing up narco-terrorists, a Pentagon representative replied that U.S. forces undergo &ldquo;a rigorous process of intelligence gathering and analysis, which may include multi-source intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to confirm illicit activity&rdquo; prior to any operation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In this instance, the vessel in question was identified through coordinated intelligence efforts as operating along established narco-trafficking routes and was assessed to be engaged in activities consistent with narco-trafficking operations,&rdquo; the representative said, adding, &ldquo;For operational security reasons, we cannot discuss specific sources or methods.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116397847496142849\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>  post on Monday, President Donald Trump said the tactics that have been successful in stopping narco-terrorists could be employed against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said the U.S. &nbsp;attack had not targeted &ldquo;&rsquo;fast attack ships,&rsquo; because we did not consider them much of a threat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Trump noted the success of Operation Southern Spear by adding &ldquo;98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a paraphrased version:<\/p>\n<p>As the world\u2019s focus stays on the Middle East, the U.S. military continues to monitor drug runners bringing poison from South America. SOUTHCOM tweeted about recent destruction of narco-terrorists and a push to impose \u201ctotal systemic friction\u201d on cartels. On April 13, under the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal strike against a vessel operated by designated terrorist groups. Intelligence indicated the ship was using known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and involved in narcotics operations. Two narco-terrorists were killed and there were no U.S. casualties.<\/p>\n<p>NBC News notes that the Trump administration has carried out 50 strikes against narco-terrorists since September, destroying 51 ships and killing 170 people. Before Monday\u2019s strike, two attacks on Saturday left one survivor, who was picked up by the Coast Guard. When CBS News asked if the operation targeted narco-terrorists, a Pentagon representative said the action followed a rigorous intelligence process and that details about sources or methods could not be discussed; the vessel was identified as operating along narco-trafficking routes and engaged in related activities.<\/p>\n<p>Trump later claimed the same tactics could be used against Iran and warned that any ships approaching the blockade would be eliminated using the same system used against drug smugglers at sea, touting that 98.2% of drugs entering by ocean have been stopped<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2590559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael-Featured-Image-928.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[77740,69907,4505],"class_list":["post-2590558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-coastal-operations","tag-drug-interdiction","tag-military"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael-Featured-Image-928.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2590558"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2590562,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590558\/revisions\/2590562"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2590559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2590558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2590558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2590558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}