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Mapping Out US Alleged Drug Boat Strikes
Since they began in September 2025, the US strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have been marked by their opacity.
Since early September 2025, the US government has carried out a series of attacks on alleged drug trafficking vessels in international waters. This new aggressive strategy is a quantum leap from what has been seen in the region for decades – seizures, interdictions, and arrests – against the drug trade, and reflects a heightened and increasingly aggressive focus on fighting transnational organized crime. President Donald Trump has promised to expand the attacks from sea to land.
Since taking office, Trump has designated over a dozen Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations, signaling a desire to use the tools of the so-called “War on Terror” against them. Before launching the air strikes, the US also deployed several naval vessels and thousands of troops to the southern Caribbean.
In this special series, InSight Crime tracks the US attacks on alleged drug traffickers, analyzing the strategies behind them and explaining the immediate and possible future impacts.
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