The US Southern Command has resumed attacks on vessels it calls “drug boats,” which Washington says cartels use to smuggle narcotics from Latin America toward the United States. Media accounts report more than 50 ships sunk since September 2025 and, according to The Guardian, at least 177 suspected traffickers killed. The US government has not publicly released evidence that the targeted vessels carried illicit cargo or named those killed. Several countries and rights groups have condemned the strikes, and some allege that innocent fishers have been among the victims.
Human rights organizations and legal scholars have been sharply critical. Carlos Perez Ricart of Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) describes the operations as “extrajudicial killings.” The US rejects that characterization, saying the strikes comply with international law and are acts of self‑defense on the grounds that cartel operations amount to an armed attack on the United States.
In the run‑up to his second term, President Trump pursued legal and political steps to justify tougher measures. He considered designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations but delayed at Mexico’s request; in February 2025 his administration designated several criminal groups as terrorist entities, including Mexican cartels, El Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha (MS‑13) and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. In December 2025 the administration declared fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction.” Reports from October 2025 said US officials regard the situation as a “non‑international armed conflict” with cartels and have labeled those killed as “unlawful combatants.” Legal experts have questioned whether these classifications fit established international law.
There is broad agreement on the severe harm caused by drug trafficking. Tens of thousands of people die annually in the US from drugs that originate in Latin America. The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) attributes nearly 70% of fatal US overdoses to fentanyl. Fentanyl’s high potency — roughly 50 times that of heroin — has also raised worries about potential weaponization; a widely cited precedent is Russia’s 2002 use of an opioid derivative to end the Dubrovka theater hostage crisis.
Production and trafficking patterns vary by drug. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and many psychostimulants are primarily produced in Mexico, while most cocaine destined for the US originates in South America. Geographically, many of the deadliest strikes have occurred in the Caribbean — a common maritime route for shipments headed to Europe — while a substantial share of US‑bound loads transit Pacific routes.
Experts are divided on the campaign’s effectiveness. Manuel Supervielle, a national security analyst and former Southern Command lawyer, says smugglers have grown more cautious and believes many of the sunk boats carried contraband. He also notes that interdiction need not be lethal: during his service, helicopter marksmen were used to disable engines so coast guards could arrest crews and seize drugs. Alex Papadovassilakis of InSight Crime says the US has disrupted certain Caribbean corridors but that cocaine flows continue; cartels adapt, and the US may not be able to sustain prolonged military pressure. Perez Ricart points out that street prices for cocaine in cities such as New York and Los Angeles have not risen, suggesting limited long‑term impact on supply.
Some analysts see geopolitical aims behind the campaign. Victor M. Mijares of Universidad de los Andes argues that removing Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro could more significantly curb South American trafficking, citing alleged regime links to drug networks. Supervielle suggests the strikes and their legal framing might help create political conditions favorable to Maduro’s ouster. Venezuela’s interim government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, says it is cooperating professionally with the US, particularly on opening the oil sector to American investors; Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
Observers also question domestic political motives. Perez Ricart contends President Trump is appealing to his political base, and Mijares says rallying the MAGA movement ahead of elections is likely a factor.
This article was translated from German.