Physical evidence from controversial US military strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the Caribbean has emerged, directly contradicting the Trump administration's justification for the operations. Charred wreckage that washed up on a Colombian shore contained packets with traces of marijuana, but no evidence of the deadly fentanyl or cocaine that President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed to be targeting.
Wreckage Tells a Different Story
According to a report by The New York Times, what appears to be the first physical evidence from the strikes was found on the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia last month. The debris, which included two bodies, held several empty packets with residues possessing the look and smell of cannabis. This discovery stands in stark contrast to the administration's narrative of intercepting vessels laden with highly dangerous narcotics that are fuelling America's opioid crisis.
The development is particularly striking given the recent shift in US drug policy. On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I substance to the less restrictive Schedule III, acknowledging its legitimate medical uses. Marijuana is also legal for recreational or medical use in 40 of the 50 US states.
An Escalating Campaign Under Scrutiny
The military campaign against alleged drug-smuggling boats began on September 2 and has since expanded. President Trump recently confirmed the first land strike inside Venezuela on Christmas Eve, targeting a dock area. Overall, the operation has reportedly destroyed 30 vessels and killed more than 105 people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
However, the administration has provided no definitive public proof that any of the vessels struck were carrying the hard drugs it cites. Critics have long questioned the legality of the strikes in international waters and off the Venezuelan coast, with some alleging they constitute war crimes. These allegations intensified after it was revealed that a September 2 attack involved a second strike that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage.
Fuel for Critics and Legal Questions
The revelation that the only recovered evidence points to marijuana, a substance undergoing federal decriminalisation, has further inflamed critics. Reactions on social media platform X have ranged from outrage to incredulity. One user, veteran John Jackson, highlighted the contradiction: "The first physical evidence in the Caribbean boat strikes has washed up and it contained—marijuana. Not cocaine. Not fentanyl."
Others, like director Morgan J. Freeman, labelled the operations "WAR CRIMES!!!" in light of the new information. The central question being raised is one of proportionality and justification: if the target was a boat carrying a substance legal in most US states, and recently downgraded by the President himself, does the lethal use of military force stand up to scrutiny?
The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they could confirm the wreckage found in Colombia was from the US strikes. The emerging evidence, however, poses a significant challenge to the administration's stated rationale for its escalating military intervention in the region.
