US Anti-Drug Boat Strikes Fail to Curb Cocaine Flow

The Wall Street Journal reports that traffickers are successfully bypassing US military efforts by evolving their logistics. Colombian authorities have identified a rise in "parasites," or metal modules packed with narcotics bolted onto the hulls of commercial freighters. Smugglers have also pivoted to the Amazon’s vast river networks and are hugging coastlines in speedboats to evade aerial detection, knowing US forces are less likely to engage in those sensitive areas.

While the Trump administration maintains that these strikes are a necessary and lawful component of a war against cartels, the strategy faces intense scrutiny. Critics, including legal experts and human rights advocates, characterize the campaign as extrajudicial murder. A previous Drug Enforcement Administration analysis cited by The Washington Post corroborates these concerns, concluding that the strikes have failed to impact the price or availability of illicit drugs while forcing cartels to diversify their transport methods.