Trump Boat Strikes Kill Nearly 200 but Fail to Curb U.S. Cocaine Flow After 9 Months
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Trump Boat Strikes Kill Nearly 200 but Fail to Curb U.S. Cocaine Flow After 9 Months
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Nearly 200 people have been killed in dozens of U.S. attacks on small boats off South America, yet experts say cocaine remains as available in much of the United States as before the campaign began nine months ago.
Evaluations of street prices, overdose deaths, drug purity and U.S. border seizures found no meaningful disruption in cocaine supply, undercutting the administration’s stated goal of choking off trafficking.
$4.7 billion has already been spent on what researchers describe as the largest U.S. military deployment in Latin America in decades, involving AC-130J gunships, F-35 jets, guided-missile destroyers and about 15,000 personnel.
The operation has widened from the Caribbean to the eastern Pacific and beyond, including ground strikes in Ecuador and the capture of Venezuela’s former leader to face U.S. drug-trafficking charges.
After a $4.7 billion military campaign, why is cocaine still just as available on American streets?
Is the U.S. military's war on drugs creating new trafficking routes and alienating critical international allies?
If a top U.S. general says lethal strikes aren't the answer, what is the real strategy?
Operation Southern Spear: $1.5 Billion, 250 Deaths, and the Disputed Effectiveness of America’s Militarized Drug War in Latin America
Overview
Operation Southern Spear, launched by the Trump administration in September 2025, is a large-scale military campaign aimed at intercepting drug smuggling vessels carrying cocaine and fentanyl into the United States. By May 2026, the operation involved significant military deployment, over 100 strikes, and resulted in at least 250 deaths, including civilians. Despite a massive financial investment of over $1.5 billion—comprising emergency appropriations and redirected defense funds—the effectiveness of the operation is widely disputed, with independent analyses showing little impact on drug availability in the U.S. and raising serious concerns about civilian casualties and legal controversies.