The Donald Trump government's strategy of bombing alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean has failed to reduce the flow of cocaine to the United States, according to an internal evaluation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released by The Washington Post.
According to the report, which was consulted by the American newspaper, the military campaign, which totals at least 67 attacks against vessels suspected of transporting drugs and more than 200 people dead, has not caused a decrease in the availability of cocaine or an increase in its price within the US market, indicators that are usually used to measure the impact of anti-drug operations.
The evaluation also points out that, far from dismantling trafficking networks, criminal organizations have adapted their transportation and logistics methods to maintain the supply of drugs to the United States, which calls into question the effectiveness of bombings as a tool to combat drug trafficking.
Since the beginning of this offensive, the Trump administration has maintained that military operations seek to prevent the entry of drugs into US territory and hit organizations dedicated to drug trafficking.
However, specialists cited by The Washington Post questioned both the legality and effectiveness of these attacks, pointing out that the intercepted vessels mainly transported cocaine and not fentanyl, a drug that arrives mainly by land routes from Mexico.
According to The Washington Post, the DEA's own assessment contradicts the argument that the bombings have weakened drug trafficking supply chains.
According to reports, the military campaign has not only left a high number of fatalities, but has also raised questions about the use of force in international waters and the absence of public evidence showing that all the attacked vessels were linked to drug trafficking activities.
The findings suggest that, despite the increase in US military actions in the Caribbean and the Pacific, organizations dedicated to cocaine trafficking continue to supply the US market through new routes and strategies, without significant results being observed so far in reducing the flow of drugs.
