Intelligence documents reviewed by Colombian news magazine Semana indicate that cocaine-laden boats destroyed by recent U.S. strikes in the Caribbean often depart from Colombia but are sustained by logistics and protection originating in Venezuela.
The magazine's investigation, based on leaked reports and interviews with military and intelligence sources, describes bribery-fueled corridors, routes greenlit from Colombian coasts, and shielding in waters influenced by Venezuela's "Cartel de los Soles," despite stepped-up U.S. interdiction.
Semana reports that, under President Donald Trump, the United States has carried out selective bombings on suspected "narcolanchas," authorized CIA covert operations, and flown deterrent patrols near Venezuelan waters. While Washington argues the strikes have reduced trafficking, sources told Semana the flow continues, with traffickers shifting to semisubmersibles, altered routes, and faster craft that raise costs without dismantling networks.
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Roughly 70% of recent seizures tied to the Trump administration originate in Colombia, particularly from the Gulf of Urabá and northern Chocó, areas dominated by the Clan del Golfo, according to the investigation. "The boats depart via the San Bernardo islands, San Andrés, or Providencia, leveraging local fishermen and small craft for payoffs," a Colombian intelligence officer told Semana.
Semana details U.S. use of drones, satellite tracking, and thermal sensors on F-18s, with Colombia contributing geolocation and the identification of repeat captains amid concerns about internal leaks.
Since early September 2025, at least six bombings have been confirmed by the United States, with an official toll of at least 27 dead. A strike on October 16 left survivors now in U.S. naval custody, a first, Trump said, describing the target as a drug "submarine," which sources clarified was a semisubmersible.
Venezuela has protested at the United Nations, alleging violations of sovereignty and extrajudicial killings, and claims some vessels were civilian. The U.S. posture includes B-52 overflights, F-35 deployments from Puerto Rico, submarines, and warships. Semana reports Trump also approved CIA covert actions inside Venezuela to support a "ground component" against trafficking routes, framed legally by designating targets as "narcoterrorist organizations" and invoking self-defense.
The leaks describe mounting friction among Colombian groups—the Clan del Golfo, FARC dissidents, ELN—and participation by Venezuela's Tren de Aragua. Profits keep the risk attractive: about $156,000 per kilo in Australia, $66,000 in the Netherlands, and $14,000 in Mexico, according to an intelligence brief cited by Semana.
"Destroying a boat prevents repetition," a Colombian officer said, while warning that traffickers are pushing Pacific routes using artisanal semisubmersibles carrying up to three tons.
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