Britain Halts Caribbean Drug Intelligence Sharing to Avoid Complicity in US Lethal Strikes

UK pauses intelligence sharing

Britain has paused sharing intelligence with the United States on suspected drug‑trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, a move reported to have begun over a month ago and intended to avoid further U.S. lethal strikes that have caused dozens of deaths.

British sources and multiple outlets say the pause follows a surge of U.S. strikes since early September that have killed more than 75 people, and that London does not want to be complicit in operations it views as potentially unlawful.

Reports emphasize that the UK long cooperated by using intelligence to alert U.S. forces so vessels could be interdicted, but that cooperation was halted as the U.S. began using intelligence to conduct or enable deadly strikes instead of only interdictions.

U.S. strikes on smugglers

The U.S. campaign that prompted the pause involves a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels.

Multiple sources report at least 19 strikes and casualty figures in the mid-70s since early September.

U.S. officials have described the operations as an escalation intended to disrupt fentanyl and other trafficking.

The U.S. administration has framed the campaign as an 'armed conflict' with cartels.

Some commentators and legal experts say this shifts drug interdiction from a law-enforcement model toward a 'war on terror' approach that could be used to justify lethal force under wartime legal authorities.

Legal and diplomatic backlash

Legal and diplomatic pushback has followed.

Canada has publicly signaled it will continue interdiction cooperation but will not allow its intelligence to be used for deadly strikes.

UN human rights officials, cited by News18, say the strikes likely violate international law and amount to "extrajudicial killing."

Some reporting also says Pentagon lawyers raised objections and that lawmakers have pressed the administration for legal justification.

U.S. defense spokespeople have denied that operational lawyers objected, and the domestic political debate includes high-profile meetings and public statements defending the strikes.

Pause in Caribbean cooperation

A temporary pause complicates long-standing cooperation in U.K.-administered Caribbean territories, where London had been providing intelligence to help U.S. forces locate suspect boats for interdiction rather than strikes.

Analysts warn that withholding intelligence could reshape relationships with regional partners and change how Britain, the U.S., and allies like Canada coordinate interdictions, search-and-seizure operations, and information sharing.

Meanwhile, some outlets have framed the pause mainly as a headline reported via CNN, highlighting that partial reporting leaves many operational details unclear.

Debate on intelligence sharing

Significant uncertainties remain about the exact scope and duration of Britain’s pause, whether partners beyond Canada will limit intelligence use, the full legal rationale U.S. officials cite, and how regional interdiction efforts will adapt.

Some reports note official denials that operational lawyers objected and highlight an ongoing domestic and international debate, but sources differ in what they prioritize — casualty counts and law-of-war concerns (News18; Latest news from Azerbaijan; mezha.net), headline political stakes (The Sun; KABB), or brief items that request fuller articles (Latin Times; Firstpost; Legal Insurrection; Washington Post snippets that did not provide substantive coverage).

Overall, the picture is incomplete and contested across outlets.