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Lizbeth Perez appeared visibly concerned as she gazed towards the picturesque fishing bay of Taganga, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, recounting her last conversation with her uncle in September.
“He was a kind and generous man, a true friend. A devoted father, uncle and son, full of cheer. He was passionate about his work and dedicated to fishing.”
Alejandro Carranza bid farewell to his family on the morning of September 14, before embarking on his usual fishing trip, according to his cousin, Audenis Manjarres, who spoke to state media. He departed from La Guajira, a region within neighboring Venezuela.
The following day, then-US President Donald Trump announced that a US military strike in international waters had targeted a vessel originating from Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of three individuals characterized as “extraordinarily violent drug-trafficking cartels and narco-terrorists.”
Ms. Perez has not seen her uncle since that day. His five children acutely miss their father, and the family remains in a state of anxious uncertainty, unsure if he was even aboard the targeted vessel.
“The reality is, we lack definitive proof that it was him, aside from the information reported in the news.”
In September, the US initiated a series of strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, later extending the operation to the Pacific. US statements indicate that at least 21 strikes have resulted in 83 fatalities.
Former US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the campaign aims to eliminate “narco-terrorists from our hemisphere” and to safeguard the US from “the drugs that are killing our people.”
The Trump administration defended these operations as a necessary act of self-defense, arguing they were crucial to saving American lives by preventing drugs from entering the US.
However, these strikes have faced condemnation from countries within the region, raising concerns about potential violations of international law.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has openly criticized the strikes, asserting that Colombian citizens were aboard the vessel targeted on September 15, and later claiming that Mr. Carranza was among those killed.
In response to President Petro’s initial statement regarding the deaths of Colombian citizens, the White House expressed their expectation that President Petro would “publicly retract his baseless and reprehensible statement.”
Mr. Trump has also accused President Petro of promoting drug production and threatened to cut off US aid to Colombia.
Mr. Carranza was part of a large extended family, residing with approximately 20 relatives in a small residence located off a dirt road in the fishing village of Gaira.
Earlier this month, President Petro alleged that Mr. Carranza, motivated by a desire to fund his daughter’s university education, accepted payment from a drug trafficker to transport drugs to an island, at which time his boat was struck.
“Regardless of whether it was fish or cocaine he was transporting, he did not deserve the death penalty,” President Petro stated. He has accused the US of “murder” and announced he has ordered Colombian public security forces to suspend intelligence sharing with the US until the strikes end. His defence minister later said the president had given “clear instructions to maintain, as has been done, a continuous flow of information with international agencies to combat drug trafficking”.
Although Mr. Carranza had a previous criminal record for stealing weapons from the police nine years prior, his family vehemently denies the characterization of him as a narco-trafficker, stating that they are deeply hurt by these claims.
“What the President of the United States is doing is unjust. He needs to provide evidence if they are or are not [trafficking],” Lizbeth states.
She acknowledged Mr Trump’s desire to address issues impacting his “territory,” but maintained that “it does not justify resorting to these methods… of taking someone’s life.”
Daniel Kovalik, a US lawyer representing some of Mr. Carranza’s family members, who also works for President Petro, stated that Mr. Carranza’s wife and eldest daughter identified his boat from US-released footage of the strike.
He plans to file a lawsuit against the US government on behalf of the family. International law dictates that military forces cannot kill civilians unless they pose an imminent threat of violence, even if they are engaged in criminal activity.
“Even with claims that the individuals you are killing are trafficking drugs, one does not have the right to engage in extrajudicial killings,” Mr. Kovalik stated.
“These are small boats… If there is genuine belief that they were doing something illegal, those individuals should be arrested, tried in a court of law, convicted, and sentenced.”
“And, it is important to note, none of them would face the death penalty, as this is not a capital crime.”
The Trump administration communicated to Congress its belief that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels in the region.
In doing so, it appears to be invoking war-time powers to justify the strikes, such as the authority to kill enemy combatants even if they do not pose an direct violent threat.
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have stated that the US is “under threat” from “terrorist organizations,” emphasizing that drugs claim the lives of thousands of Americans.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) notes that seizures of cocaine, the predominant drug trafficked and produced in South America, increased by approximately 18% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
However, the primary cause of drug-related fatalities in the US is Fentanyl, which is produced in and transported to the US from Mexico.
Mr. Kovalik disputes the US’s self-defense claim, pointing out that “these boats have never attacked the United States.”
In Taganga, the strikes are a cause for concern among fishermen like 81-year-old Juan Assis Tejeda, whose skin is tanned and weathered from 70 years of fishing these waters under the Caribbean sun, a profession passed down from his father and grandfather.
He routinely fishes in close proximity to the border with Venezuela, along the coast.
He described seeing drones flying above them while they were fishing, noting that they “hover silently, return, and then disappear.”
Even though he is only fishing, he now fears due to the ongoing strikes.
“At any moment, they could spot us and assume we’re doing the same thing. Because sometimes we venture 60 miles or more out to sea in search of tuna.”
He mentioned that some fishermen do become involved in transporting drugs due to poverty. He said he was offered money himself, but he declined.
He prefers to live “peacefully” making little money than take the risks associated with drugs, he says.
Many in this region suspect that the strikes are not solely aimed at small, alleged drug-trafficking boats, but are also intended to exert military pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, with the goal of compelling him to cede power, or to pressure his allies, such as members of the military, to oust him.
The US accuses President Maduro of heading a criminal trafficking organization known as the Cartel de los Soles, an allegation that Maduro vehemently denies. The US State Department plans to designate this group as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday.
This development has fueled speculation about a potential US strike on targets located within Venezuelan territory.
Trump stated that the US “may be having some discussions with Maduro,” and Maduro responded that he would be willing to meet “face to face.”
As the US deliberates its next course of action, the quiet fishing villages along the Caribbean coast contemplate whether diplomacy or conflict lies on their horizon.
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