US naval attacks off South America fail to cut cocaine supply, experts say

The Story

According to a report published on marginalrevolution.com, a New York Times article describes a Trump administration campaign of dozens of attacks on small boats in waters off South America. The campaign has killed nearly 200 people and is intended to curb illicit drug flow to the United States. Nearly nine months into the operation, epidemiologists, addiction scientists, and public health experts report that cocaine remains as easy to obtain in much of the United States as before the strikes. The assessment is based on evaluations of street prices, lethal overdoses, purity of samples, and drug seizures at U.S. borders. The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of the largest U.S. military deployment in Latin America in decades, the article states.

Key Facts

• The Trump administration launched dozens of attacks on small boats off South America.
• Nearly 200 people have been killed in the campaign.
• The campaign is meant to curb illicit drug flow to the United States.
• Nearly nine months into the operation, cocaine is still as easy to get in much of the United States as before the strikes.
• The conclusions are based on street prices, lethal overdoses, purity of samples, and drug seizures at U.S. borders.
• The findings raise questions about the largest U.S. military deployment in Latin America in decades.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

No specific individuals named in the source article.

Sources: marginalrevolution.com