WP: US military strikes on alleged drug vessels failed to reduce cocaine flow

U.S. military strikes targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels have failed to reduce the flow of cocaine into the United States, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assessment reviewed by The Washington Post.

The previously undisclosed assessment found that while the strikes initially disrupted trafficking routes, cocaine supply and prices in the United States have since returned to previous levels, indicating that the operations have had little lasting impact.

According to the WP, traffickers have adapted by shifting away from high-speed "go-fast" boats in international waters to larger vessels operating closer to coastlines, where U.S. forces are less likely to engage. Criminal organisations have also increasingly relied on aircraft departing from clandestine airstrips along the Colombia-Venezuela border and flying to Guyana and Suriname to evade detection.

Pentagon officials also told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed-door briefing that the military campaign had not reduced the purity of cocaine seized in the United States, suggesting supplies remain stable.

Operation Southern Spear, launched by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in November 2025, was designed to target drug cartels operating in waters off South and Central America. However, the DEA assessment indicates that trafficking networks have quickly adapted their methods, limiting the operation's overall effectiveness.

According to The New York Times, U.S. strikes on suspected cartel vessels had killed more than 200 people by late May.

By Sabina Mammadli