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According to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assessment, a closed-door congressional briefing, and interviews with current and former officials, the administration’s military strikes on alleged drug boats have not reduced the amount of cocaine entering the U.S.
- And they have prompted criminal organizations to develop new strategies undermining traditional investigative methods.
The details:
- DEA analysts found that the strikes failed to affect the supply or price of cocaine in the U.S.
- The strikes led traffickers to diversify boats and avoid international waters, opting for larger boats and moving along coastlines, where U.S. forces are less likely to open fire. Traffickers are also relying more on aircraft to avoid U.S. forces.
- Pentagon officials said the strikes had not reduced cocaine purity. That suggests supply remains consistent, as dealers do not need to dilute the drug to stretch inventory.
- Preliminary findings two months after the strikes began last year showed that they had disrupted smuggling routes, causing increases in cocaine prices and drug-related violence. But prices have since reverted to previous levels, as smugglers adapted.
Read more: Deadly U.S. boat strikes have failed to curb cocaine supply, Pentagon and DEA officials say
Published
August 2026