The drugs don't even have to be headed to the US.

"The Trump Administration’s justification for striking a boat in the Caribbean in early September, killing all 11 people on board, was that it was carrying a cargo of potentially deadly drugs that was headed to the United States.

But that justification appears to have been undermined by a briefing from the commander of that operation before lawmakers on Thursday, who reportedly said the boat in question was heading to the coast of Suriname, where it was planning to transfer its drugs to a larger vessel.

The revelation contradicts the Administration's claims that the boat was on its way to the United States and means that the U.S. was likely not even the final destination for its alleged shipment. The U.S. government’s own intelligence has said previously that the majority of drug trafficking routes that go via Suriname head on to Europe."

time.com - Admiral bradley boat strike hegseth