Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should 'just sink' drug boats

"At a Justice Department conference in February, then-acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told the department's top drug prosecutors that the Trump administration wasn't interested in interdicting suspected drug vessels at sea anymore. Instead, he said, the U.S. should "just sink the boats," according to three people present for the speech. At the time of Bove's comments, President Trump had only been back in office for a month."

"Since the first deadly attack on what the government says was a narco-trafficking vessel off the Venezuelan coast on Sept. 2, the U.S. has conducted some 20 strikes in international waters, killing more than 75 people. The administration says the boats were carrying drugs and posed a direct threat to the United States, but it has not provided any public evidence to support those assertions."

A Justice Department conference in February included a call to abandon interdicting suspected drug vessels and instead "just sink the boats." Months later, U.S. forces carried out about 20 strikes in international waters after a deadly Sept. 2 attack, killing more than 75 people. The administration asserts the vessels carried drugs and threatened the United States but has not publicly provided supporting evidence. Career officials described a shift from seizing drugs and prosecuting crews to destroying boats and killing those aboard. Anonymous officials questioned the legality and effectiveness of the new approach and feared retribution.

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