A U.S. military campaign of airstrikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific has failed to reduce the flow of cocaine into the United States or affect its price, a Drug Enforcement Administration assessment has found.
The operation, known as Operation Southern Spear, began in September 2025 and has struck 67 boats in international waters, killing at least 221 people. Despite the toll, Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing last month that the strikes have not lowered the purity of confiscated cocaine. Traffickers have adapted by shifting to larger vessels sailing closer to coastlines and increasing reliance on aircraft departing clandestine airstrips along the Colombia-Venezuela border.
The most recent strike occurred on June 21, marking the longest pause since the campaign began. United Nations data shows global cocaine production hit a record 4,100 tons in 2024.