British intelligence services and the military have stopped providing the US with intelligence information about the movement of ships in the Caribbean.
This was reported by the British newspaper The Times, and previously CNN reported the same, citing its sources.
An unnamed source told the newspaper that the British had previously shared with the Americans data such as the coordinates of vessels possibly transporting drugs and the number of people on board.
As the newspaper specifies, the Royal Navy conducts operations against drug smugglers in the Caribbean, but its approach differs from that of the US. “We do not capture and destroy ships and we do not kill people. We are arresting them“, a British naval source told the newspaper.
The UK government declined to comment on the suspension of intelligence sharing. As The Times notes, it is not yet clear whether this has led to any action by the United States, which also shares intelligence with the UK in a number of regions, including Ukraine.
The article recalls that in September 2024, the Royal Air Force patrol ship HMS Trent for the first time intercepted a drug-trafficking submarine in the Caribbean and seized 160 million pounds ($210 million) worth of cocaine transported by sea. As a result of the operation, carried out 190 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic in conjunction with the US Coast Guard and a US patrol aircraft, eleven suspects were arrested.
Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of not doing enough to combat drug smuggling. The US Navy has deployed eight ships, a nuclear submarine and more than 10,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea and is destroying motorboats in international waters carrying people accused of smuggling drugs from Venezuela.
Trump has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. US media have repeatedly reported that the US may soon begin striking drug cartel targets in Venezuela. However, on October 31, Trump said that he was not considering strikes on Venezuelan territory.