The Pentagon has deliberately shifted its strategy in recent weeks to striking suspected narcotraffickers in the eastern Pacific Ocean, rather than the Caribbean Sea, because administration officials believe they have stronger evidence linking cocaine transport to the US from those western routes, according to people familiar with the matter,
The intelligence suggests that cocaine is far more likely to be trafficked from Colombia or Mexico, rather than Venezuela, the sources said, raising more questions about the true purpose of the US military buildup in the Caribbean Sea.
The last four US military strikes targeting suspected drug smugglers were carried out in the eastern Pacific, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and sources said that future attacks are likely to be concentrated in that area because of the stronger link to US markets.
By contrast, there have been questions about whether every boat struck by the US in the Caribbean was actually heading toward, or sending drugs to, the US. After the first boat strike in September, for example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the vessel had likely been headed toward Trinidad and Tobago.
Venezuela is also not known to be a major source of cocaine for the US market, but the Trump administration has been aggressively trying to link Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the drug trade while accumulating a huge military presence near Caracas.
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