UK Partially Suspends Intelligence Sharing With US Over Legality Of Maritime Strikes

In a stunning rebuke of Washington’s anti-drug campaign, Britain has reportedly halted some intelligence sharing with the United States — citing fears that recent U.S. strikes on suspected smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific may violate international law.

London’s decision follows months of controversy over U.S. maritime operations that have killed at least 76 people, including 14 on Oct. 27. Critics — including several Republican lawmakers — argue the footage depicts unlawful killings at sea.

As CNN reports:

For years, the UK, which controls a number of territories in the Caribbean where it bases intelligence assets, has helped the US locate vessels suspected of carrying drugs so that the US Coast Guard could interdict them, the sources said. That meant the ships would be stopped, boarded, its crew detained, and drugs seized.

The intelligence was typically sent to Joint Interagency Task Force South, a task force stationed in Florida that includes representatives from a number of partner nations and works to reduce the illicit drug trade.

But shortly after the US began launching lethal strikes against the boats in September, however, the UK grew concerned that the US might use intelligence provided by the British to select targets. British officials believe the US military strikes, which have killed 76 people, violate international law, the sources said. The intelligence pause began over a month ago, they said.

The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, said last month that the strikes violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing.” The UK agrees with that assessment, the sources told CNN.

Neither the British Embassy in Washington nor officials at the Pentagon or White House responded to requests for comment

Retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton told CNN that the fallout could spread quickly — pointing to Canada’s partial pullback from similar partnerships and dissent within America’s own ranks. The standoff threatens to fracture global counter-narcotics efforts just as tensions with Venezuela reach a boiling point.

The Trump administration is vigorously defending its decision to authorize military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters, insisting the operations are both lawful and essential to protecting Americans from the ongoing narcotics crisis.

Officials have described Latin American cartels as “narco-terrorists” and say the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with groups like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. The administration contends that narcotics-laden vessels pose an immediate threat to American lives and that traffickers should be treated as enemy combatants rather than criminals.

President Trump has said military commanders have “absolute and complete authority” to stop such boats. Legal documents submitted to Congress describe these organizations as “non-state armed groups,” enabling a broader military response.

Critics argue that the policy erases the distinction between law enforcement and warfare. Legal experts warn that targeting a suspected drug vessel based on its cargo may not meet the definition of an “armed attack” under international law and could violate the U.N. Charter. Analysts say the precedent could allow other countries to claim similar justifications for the use of military force.

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