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US Drug-Boat Campaign Unlawful, Warns UN Rights Expert
(MENAFN) A United Nations special rapporteur has cautioned that American military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels may rise to the level of crimes against humanity, arguing there is sufficient basis to view the campaign as a violation of international law.
Ben Saul said in a statement that US forces have killed at least 223 people since Sept. 2, 2025, in strikes targeting suspected trafficking boats across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.
Washington has maintained that the vessels struck were involved in narcotics trafficking.
Saul pushed back on the legal justification underpinning the campaign, arguing that drug trafficking alone does not amount to an armed attack and therefore cannot justify the use of military force under a claim of self-defense in international law. Suspected traffickers, he said, should instead be handled through standard law enforcement channels and given due process.
The rapporteur also flagged concern over unconfirmed reports of covert operations inside Mexico, including alleged targeted killings of cartel figures and surveillance flights conducted by foreign drones over Mexican airspace. Those reports remain unverified, and Saul stopped short of naming any specific country as responsible. He warned that any unauthorized foreign military activity on Mexican soil could constitute a breach of the country's sovereignty.
The warning lands amid escalating US pressure on Mexico over cartel activity and drug trafficking. President Donald Trump has pushed for a tougher military posture against the cartels, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected any unilateral US military intervention on Mexican territory.
Saul, joined by other UN experts, has called for independent investigations into the deaths and for accountability measures should the strikes be found to have breached international law. As a special rapporteur, Saul serves as an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, and his findings do not represent the official position of the United Nations.
Ben Saul said in a statement that US forces have killed at least 223 people since Sept. 2, 2025, in strikes targeting suspected trafficking boats across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.
Washington has maintained that the vessels struck were involved in narcotics trafficking.
Saul pushed back on the legal justification underpinning the campaign, arguing that drug trafficking alone does not amount to an armed attack and therefore cannot justify the use of military force under a claim of self-defense in international law. Suspected traffickers, he said, should instead be handled through standard law enforcement channels and given due process.
The rapporteur also flagged concern over unconfirmed reports of covert operations inside Mexico, including alleged targeted killings of cartel figures and surveillance flights conducted by foreign drones over Mexican airspace. Those reports remain unverified, and Saul stopped short of naming any specific country as responsible. He warned that any unauthorized foreign military activity on Mexican soil could constitute a breach of the country's sovereignty.
The warning lands amid escalating US pressure on Mexico over cartel activity and drug trafficking. President Donald Trump has pushed for a tougher military posture against the cartels, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected any unilateral US military intervention on Mexican territory.
Saul, joined by other UN experts, has called for independent investigations into the deaths and for accountability measures should the strikes be found to have breached international law. As a special rapporteur, Saul serves as an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, and his findings do not represent the official position of the United Nations.
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