Overview
- An internal DEA evaluation reported on Monday that strikes on 67 suspected drug boats did not reduce the flow, supply, or price of cocaine reaching the United States.
- U.S. forces have destroyed at least 67 vessels and the campaign has been linked to at least 221 deaths, prompting criticism from the United Nations and rights groups that some victims were civilians.
- The last publicly reported lethal strike took place on June 21, 2026, and operations have since entered the longest pause to date with no official explanation for the halt.
- The DEA and Pentagon say traffickers adapted by using larger coastal ships, more clandestine air routes from Colombia and Venezuela, and other methods that help evade maritime strikes.
- Officials emphasize continued large seizures by U.S. agencies even as critics say the classified operation lacks clear engagement rules and that fixed maritime attacks cannot by themselves break supply chains or cut demand.