US Anti-Cocaine Campaign Ineffective

The Trump administration launched a military campaign involving dozens of attacks on small boats off South America, killing nearly 200 people, with the stated goal of curbing the flow of illicit drugs, primarily Cocaine, to the United States>>>. Almost nine months into the operation, public health experts and addiction scientists, including Carl Latkin and Nabarun Dasgupta, assert that Cocaine remains highly available, prevalent, and inexpensive in the United States>>>. This assessment is based on stable street prices, consistent drug purity, and increased border seizures by United States — United States Customs and Border Protection, which indicate continued high trafficking volumes. The campaign, costing $4.7 billion according to Brown University's Costs of War project, has drawn widespread criticism for its legality and effectiveness. Gen. Francis Donovan (general), head of the United States — United States Southern Command, acknowledged that boat strikes are not a long-term solution. Traffickers are adapting by shifting to land routes through Central African Republic and using container ships, as evidenced by seizures in Ecuador>>> and Colombia>>>. The United States — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows a decline in overall overdose deaths, but cocaine-only overdose deaths have plateaued since the strikes began, with no evidence of a cocaine supply shock.