UK Suspends Drug Trafficking Intelligence Sharing with US

The United Kingdom has reportedly halted the sharing of vital intelligence related to drug trafficking with the United States. This decision comes in response to U.S. military actions targeting suspected drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, as stated in a report by CNN. The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has taken this action to avoid complicity in what has been described as controversial military operations.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the allegations regarding the UK’s pause in intelligence sharing but maintained that the administration’s stance on drug trafficking operations remains unchanged. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. is not seeking assistance from its allies for its military actions, which primarily involve strikes in the Caribbean aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks.

The UK controls several territories in the Caribbean, and various sources have indicated that intelligence collected from British assets in the region is no longer being provided to U.S. authorities. This unprecedented move underscores the UK’s desire to dissociate itself from the U.S. military’s tactics, which have been criticized both domestically and internationally.

Reports have emerged that the U.S. military’s actions were a subject of discussion at a recent Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Canada. Rubio noted that he was unaware of any complaints regarding the military operations being raised during the meeting. He stated, “Not with me — no one raised it,” further asserting that there has been no change in the U.S. capability to conduct its operations.

The military actions have faced opposition from various political factions. Some lawmakers, including Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have joined Democrats in attempting to pass a Senate resolution aimed at ending the strikes, which ultimately failed. Additionally, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the strikes, labeling them as “extrajudicial killings” in statements made on October 31, 2023.

Rubio defended the U.S. position, stating, “I don’t think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is. What they certainly don’t get to determine is how the United States defends its national security.” He characterized the U.S. response as a necessary measure against organized crime and narco-terrorism within the region.

The suspension of intelligence sharing represents a significant shift in the longstanding partnership between the UK and the US, which have cooperated closely on various security issues since World War II. The implications of this decision may reverberate through both nations’ efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the Caribbean and beyond.