Overview
- U.S. forces are still striking small boats in the Caribbean in a campaign the government says targets drug trafficking, with at least 57 vessels destroyed and at least 187 people killed, according to a CNN analysis cited by KRDO.
- President Trump has claimed a roughly 97 to 98 percent drop in drugs arriving by sea, yet Pentagon witness Joseph Humire told Congress the reductions were closer to 20 percent in the Caribbean and 25 percent in the Eastern Pacific.
- The Intercept’s report, summarized by multiple outlets, found little proof the targets were traffickers, and a former Coast Guard admiral noted ongoing large cocaine seizures and stable wholesale prices that do not reflect a near-total supply collapse.
- Critics say the strikes amount to unlawful killings outside war, pointing to cases where survivors were released instead of arrested and to the absence of public evidence such as recovered narcotics or documented cartel ties.
- The administration says a classified Justice Department opinion deems drug cartels enemy forces, while legal scholars and some lawmakers cite U.S. criminal law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the War Powers Act, and note Congress narrowly failed to halt the operation.