The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with the United States about vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean , after concluding that US military strikes against suspected traffickers violate international law , CNN reported , citing information leaked through sources familiar with the matter.

For years, the United Kingdom —which maintains intelligence bases in several Caribbean territories— had collaborated with Washington to track and intercept vessels linked to drug trafficking , in coordination with the Joint Interagency Task Force South , based in Florida.

However, according to CNN, London decided to suspend cooperation more than a month ago , concerned about the use of British information in lethal attacks , in which at least 76 people were killed.

British officials consider these actions to be extrajudicial executions and violations of International Humanitarian Law , a position that coincides with that expressed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk , as well as the Governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia, among others.

“The attacks violate international law and amount to extrajudicial executions ,” Türk stated in October, a statement with which London fully agrees , according to the sources cited.

Before the policy change, the fight against drug trafficking was the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard and law enforcement agencies , focusing on arrests and seizures . Under this system, cartel members and drug traffickers were treated as criminals entitled to due process.

But since September, the Trump administration has authorized the U.S. military to use lethal force , arguing that the alleged drug traffickers pose an imminent threat and are “enemy combatants” in an “armed conflict” with the U.S.

A memo sent to Congress and a classified opinion from the Justice Department support that approach, while Trump designated several drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations ,” which, according to the White House, would justify the military operation.

However, international law experts argue that the terrorist designation does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force , and that many of the vessels attacked were at anchor or did not pose an immediate threat , according to reports obtained by CNN.

Defense sources revealed that Admiral Alvin Holsey , head of the U.S. Southern Command , submitted his resignation after expressing doubts about the legality of the attacks in a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Furthermore, lawyers from the Department of Defense and active and retired military advisors have stated that the attacks do not appear to comply with International Law of Armed Conflict , although the Pentagon has denied any internal disagreement.

Canada , another strategic ally of Washington in Operation Caribbean , also distanced itself from the US attacks , although it will continue its anti-drug cooperation with the US Coast Guard. Diplomatic sources indicated that Ottawa requested guarantees that its intelligence would not be used to select targets for lethal attacks .

The Canadian Ministry of Defence stated that the activities of the Armed Forces in the Caribbean are “separate and distinct” from the military operations promoted by Washington, reaffirming that it will not participate in actions that contravene international law .