Expert: US Operations in Latin America Fail to Reduce Cocaine Trafficking

Washington (ANTARA) - United States military operations to combat drug trafficking in Latin America have not reduced the circulation of cocaine; on the contrary, the volume of distribution has increased over the past year, according to Thomas Posado, a French political expert from the University of Rouen Normandy, speaking to RIA Novosti.

In November 2025, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched Operation Southern Spear, targeting drug cartels in Latin America. As part of this operation, the US military has attacked vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific that Washington claims are linked to drug cartels.

“Analysis shows that the circulation of cocaine, which is the primary target of this military campaign, has not decreased. On the contrary, its circulation has actually increased slightly,” said Posado.

According to him, the campaign has yet to achieve its primary objectives despite launching dozens of strikes against vessels suspected of being involved in drug trafficking.

Furthermore, the transit routes for cocaine through Venezuela have begun shifting from maritime paths in the Caribbean to land routes towards Guyana, the expert noted.

“The Caribbean remains the most important transit route for cocaine between the production regions—Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia—and the primary market, which is the United States,” said Posado.

“In Venezuela, maritime routes that previously led to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, as well as Trinidad and Tobago, are now being replaced by land routes to Guyana due to increased surveillance,” he added.

However, the US assesses the results of the operation differently. The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated that illegal maritime activity in several regions of the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific has decreased significantly.

According to SOUTHCOM, since September 2025, the US military has destroyed at least 67 vessels in a series of strikes targeting suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. These strikes resulted in 221 deaths.