Concerning report finds Hegseth's deadly boat strikes haven't slowed cocaine entering US
Concerning report finds Hegseth's deadly boat strikes haven't slowed cocaine entering US
Somaiyah HafeezMon, July 27, 2026 at 8:31 PM UTC
160
Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the American military has struck at least 67 boats in international waters over the last year. -Credit:Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock
Despite 67 U.S. airstrikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, which killed 221 people, the Trump administration has reportedly admitted that the attacks haven't slowed the flow of cocaine into the U.S.
According to a report by The Washington Post, traffickers are now relying on planes hopping across the interior of Central and South America, or using larger boats and sailing close to coastlines where U.S. forces are less likely to strike.
According to the publication, "DEA analysts found the strikes had failed to affect the supply or price of cocaine in the United States and had led traffickers to diversify beyond go-fast boats and to avoid international waters, opting instead for larger boats and hemming close to coastlines, where US forces are less likely to open fire."
• Pete Hegseth caught massaging Iran war death toll numbers for ridiculous reason
• Pete Hegseth interrupted 4 times by protesters as he begs for $95 billion Iran war cash
Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the American military has struck at least 67 boats in international waters over the last year.
Advertisement
Yet the months-long attacks have seemingly done little to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S.
“When you squeeze the balloon on one side, it always expands on the other side,” one DEA official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Washington Post. “They always find the weak spots and exploit them.”
Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the American military has struck at least 67 boats in international waters over the last year.
-Credit:AP
U.S. military and federal law enforcement operations have been catching suspected drug-trafficking boats and seizing contraband at the same time, which suggests law enforcement action alone could stem the drug flow into the country without lethal strikes on everyone aboard. Senior military officials, including the officer leading the campaign, told Congress in recent hearings that killing those on board isn't the only option for stopping them.
Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports, and entertainment stories.
A Defense Department spokesperson told The Washington Post that Operation Southern Spear accomplished "“exactly what it was designed to do: detect, disrupt and dismantle designated terrorist organizations and the networks they rely on to traffic narcotics, generate illicit revenue, and threaten the security of the United States and the Western Hemisphere.”
These accounts from administration officials seem to run counter to President Trump's own claims that the strikes have cut maritime drug trafficking into the U.S. by 97 to 98 percent.
Source: “AOL General News”
