US Caribbean drug interdictions spark debate over lethal force

On Sept. 7, U.S. maritime forces carried out a series of interdictions and strikes in the southern Caribbean that officials said resulted in the destruction of a suspected drug boat, the seizure of nearly 13,000 pounds of cocaine and multiple detentions, actions that come amid an intensified U.S. campaign against transnational traffickers in the region. The operations, part of a joint Coast Guard and Navy effort called Operation Pacific Viper, have raised sharp debate at home and abroad over the use of lethal force against suspected smugglers in international waters.

The Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone executed a dramatic interdiction in which a vessel was engulfed in flames and roughly 13,000 pounds of cocaine were taken from maritime shipments. Video posted online showed the burning boat, and officials said seven suspected smugglers were detained over three separate interdictions that night. Homeland Security and Coast Guard statements framed the seizure as part of a broad campaign launched in August that they say has intercepted more than 76,000 pounds of drugs, including more than 61,000 pounds of cocaine, and produced what Coast Guard...