Colombian criminal organizations shift cocaine routes as U.S. boat strikes continue

U.S. strikes on suspected drug vessels have prompted traffickers to change routes and transport methods, with reports of increased violence and displacement in affected Colombian regions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro was due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump with bilateral drug control on the agenda.

U.S. military strikes on suspected drug vessels have begun to reshape Colombia's cocaine trade and to affect local communities, experts and Indigenous leaders say. The campaign, described in reporting as Operation Southern Spear, has been conducted in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Criminal organizations are adapting by changing routes and transport methods rather than stopping shipments. Colombian President Gustavo Petro was scheduled to travel to Washington, where bilateral drug control is expected to be part of talks with President Donald Trump. Key developments: - U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats have been carried out in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific and have reportedly killed at least 126 people since Sept. 2. - Traffickers are shifting from speedboats to alternative routes and methods, including moving product via Ecuador and Peru and using legal seaports and container ships. - New routes through the Amazon toward Brazil and Venezuela and competition over corridors have been linked to intensified clashes between armed groups and to community confinement and displacement. - Colombian authorities say President Petro's meeting in Washington will include bilateral drug-control discussions with U.S. leaders. Summary: The reported U.S. maritime campaign has altered trafficking patterns and is associated with rising local conflict and displacement in parts of Colombia and neighbouring areas. President Petro's visit to Washington is the next scheduled diplomatic step to discuss bilateral drug-control issues.