The United Kingdom has reportedly suspended all intelligence sharing with the United States over its recent lethal strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, amid fears that British assistance could make it complicit in extrajudicial killings that breach international law, according to a CNN investigation.
For years, the UK has quietly supported the US-led anti-narcotics operations in the region, providing vital surveillance data and maritime intelligence from its Caribbean territories. That intelligence was used by the US Coast Guard and naval units to track, intercept, and seize suspected drug-running vessels. However, British officials told CNN that cooperation has been frozen since late September, following a string of deadly US air and sea strikes that killed at least 76 people on vessels Washington claimed were engaged in narcotics trafficking.
“We cannot be seen as feeding coordinates for missile strikes that don’t meet international legal standards,” one senior British security official told the network. The source added that the decision reflects a “moral and legal line” that London does not wish to cross, especially given its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The freeze marks a rare break in the UK-US intelligence partnership, often described as one of the world’s deepest and most trusted alliances. While both governments have traditionally coordinated on counter-narcotics and counterterrorism, the Caribbean operation — described by Washington as an “anti-cartel armed campaign” — has become a flashpoint.
Since September, the United States has carried out more than a dozen precision strikes on small vessels in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters, allegedly linked to transnational drug cartels. According to US Defense Secretary statements, the operations were aimed at “terrorist-affiliated narcotics networks,” but officials have not provided evidence to substantiate those claims.
Human rights groups and legal experts have condemned the strikes as unlawful. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned last month that the attacks “amount to extrajudicial executions at sea” and violate both international law and maritime conventions. The UK Foreign Office has privately echoed those concerns, CNN reported, arguing that any continued data-sharing could expose Britain to accusations of aiding and abetting illegal killings.
The diplomatic tension deepened as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused Washington of conducting “murderous acts of aggression” against his citizens under the guise of anti-drug enforcement. He alleged that several Venezuelan fishing vessels were among those destroyed, calling the strikes a “provocation aimed at destabilizing” his government. The US administration, led by President Donald Trump, dismissed those claims, insisting the operations target only “narco-terrorist threats”.
Meanwhile, the US military has expanded its regional footprint, deploying a nuclear-powered submarine, several warships, and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean in what it describes as a security operation to safeguard the Western Hemisphere. The move has heightened tensions across Latin America, with Russia and Cuba publicly condemning the escalation and Caracas mobilizing tens of thousands of troops in response.
In London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office declined to comment on the intelligence freeze, citing national security protocols. A spokesperson said only, “We do not discuss intelligence matters. However, the UK expects all counter-narcotics operations to comply fully with international law.”
Analysts say the rift underscores a deeper moral and legal dilemma in transnational security cooperation — balancing the need for regional stability with adherence to human rights norms. As one former British diplomat told CNN, “The question isn’t whether drug cartels should be stopped — it’s whether the rule of law is being abandoned in the process.”
