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The United Kingdom and Colombia have both suspended some intelligence-sharing agreements with the United States due to ongoing US military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, the United States has carried out at least 15 military strikes since early September targeting boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of at least 63 people (with 3 survivors being recovered). The US claims these vessels are operated by drug-trafficking groups, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which it has designated a terrorist organization. According to US officials, each strike is preceded by surveillance operations that confirm the presence of narcotics on board and verify the boat’s involvement in smuggling. Intelligence gathered before the strikes, they say, includes visual identification of drugs and tracking of suspicious routes, which forms the basis for the decision to engage militarily.
What Colombia did: In a notable development, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered all branches of the country’s public security and intelligence services to immediately halt all communication and cooperation with US security agencies. The suspension, Petro announced via a post on X, will remain in place “as long as the missile attacks on boats continue.” His decision came after the reported death of a Colombian fisherman allegedly killed in one of the US strikes. “He may have been carrying fish, or he may have been carrying cocaine, but he had not been sentenced to death,” Petro said during a summit in Bogotá.
He further criticized the US approach to the drug war, arguing that “The fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people.” Petro also called for President Donald Trump to be investigated for war crimes, arguing the US actions amount to extrajudicial killings and represent a severe violation of international law.
What the United Kingdom did: Around the same time, the United Kingdom quietly suspended its own intelligence-sharing agreement with the US, specifically halting the transfer of maritime intelligence related to suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean. The decision, first reported by CNN, stemmed from legal concerns within the British government that UK-supplied intelligence might be used to carry out lethal strikes that could violate international law.
The British government declined to comment publicly on intelligence matters.
