UK withholds intel from US over ‘drug boat’ killings

The UK has taken the unprecedented step of pausing some intelligence sharing with the United States over fears of being implicated in potentially illegal strikes against vessels accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean, new reporting reveals.

- JOHN BOWDEN

CNN reported yesterday that the intelligence pause began over a month ago, with British officials said to agree with the international consensus that the strikes are illegal.

In a move that has blurred the lines between law enforcement and military action, the Trump administration has directed lethal strikes against numerous vessels it claims are being operated by drug smugglers it has designated as “narcoterrorists”.

Dozens have died in the strikes, with their identities not made public by the White House or Pentagon. An Associated Press investigation, piecing together evidence from the ground in Venezuela, identified some of those killed in the strikes and confirmed some of their involvement in small-scale local operations for drug cartels, typically on a temporary basis.

The news outlet separately reported that Canadian officials have “made clear to the US that it does not want its intelligence being used to help target boats for deadly strikes”.