Firepower vs. Drug Flows: What Has US Military Might Achieved in the Caribbean?

US strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro have rewritten the rules of the decades-long “war on drugs.”

But while certain smuggling routes have been disrupted, the overall flow of drugs has not stopped. Criminal groups are instead adapting, leveraging alternative transport methods and transshipment points to keep cocaine flowing to the United States, Europe, and beyond. 

With the United States already scaling down its military presence in the Caribbean, InSight Crime examines what impact its controversial military-first approach has had on regional drug trafficking. Our team has also developed a visual guide to illustrate how drugs flow through some of the region’s most important trafficking routes.

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