The U.S. has destroyed more than 70 drug boats, but cocaine keeps arriving

The campaign’s reported scale is striking: U.S. drones and military aircraft destroyed more than 70 boats in 13 months. About 240 crew members died, according to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. The estimated value of disrupted cocaine reached $1.5 billion.

These figures measure attacks and their immediate effect, not the end of trafficking. U.S. forces targeted boats allegedly connected to drug smuggling. In June, President Donald Trump said maritime drug arrivals had fallen 97%. That claim describes one supply channel, while the broader cocaine market includes other routes and transport methods.

The campaign has therefore caused major losses for some criminal groups, but cocaine remains widely available. Traffickers shifted toward rivers, cargo containers, fishing boats, semisubmersibles, and other methods. Authorities in four continents still reported record-level supply in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

Cocaine is an illegal stimulant drug produced from coca leaves. Its purity level measures the share of a sample that is cocaine, rather than cutting agents or other added substances. A higher percentage means the product contains more cocaine by weight. The source article does not define cocaine or purity, so this explanation uses established drug-market terminology.

The article reports purity as high as 98% in Europe. It links that level to abundant coca supplies. When sellers have plenty of cocaine, they do not need to stretch limited stocks by mixing them with other substances. The result can be a stronger product sold at the same market stage.

High purity does not mean the trade is shrinking. It can signal that supply is plentiful. The article also reports falling wholesale prices and record seizures in France, showing that large volumes continue moving through international markets despite enforcement.

Cocaine continues reaching major markets because traffickers can adapt when authorities block one route. The U.S. campaign targeted more than 70 boats, but the international supply chain uses many transport methods and departure points. Authorities in four continents told the newspaper that supply remained at record levels in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

The shifts are practical. In the Amazon, shipments moved onto jungle rivers aboard boats carrying food and fuel. In the Pacific, crews traveled close to shore in the same types of speedboats attacked by the United States. Traffickers also used cargo containers, cargo ships, fishing boats, and semisubmersibles. Guyana and Suriname emerged as platforms, while Venezuela remained important.

This flexibility limits the campaign’s overall effect. Maritime arrivals may fall sharply on one route, while cocaine moves through hidden compartments, commercial transport, inland waterways, or different countries. Colombia’s record production also keeps supplying the wider network.

Traffickers are replacing exposed routes with a network of less obvious methods. The goal is to keep cocaine moving while reducing reliance on the boats most directly targeted by U.S. attacks. This matters because stopping one transport channel does not remove the product or the demand for it.

The article gives several examples. In Buenaventura, Colombia’s navy is finding more metal modules attached to cargo-ship hulls. In the Amazon, shipments travel on rivers in boats carrying food and fuel. Pacific crews stay close to shore. Other shipments use containers, cargo ships, fishing boats, and semisubmersibles. Guyana and Suriname are emerging platforms, while Venezuela remains a key departure point.

These methods spread risk across different forms of transport. Some conceal cocaine inside commercial cargo or against ship hulls. Others use remote waterways or vessels that look less suspicious. As routes multiply, enforcement can disrupt individual shipments without eliminating the global supply.

Abundant supply puts downward pressure on wholesale prices. Sellers have more cocaine available, so they may accept lower prices to move their inventories. At the same time, plentiful supplies reduce the need to stretch each shipment with other substances. That can raise the purity of the product reaching consumers.

The article reports that a kilogram in Miami cost about $16,500 in summer, below the historical range of $22,000 to $25,000. In Europe, the price fell from $45,000 to as little as $16,000 in some cities. European cocaine also reached purity levels of up to 98%, because sellers no longer needed to make supplies last by adding other substances.

Together, the figures point to a well-supplied market. Lower prices can make distribution easier, while higher purity makes each sale contain more cocaine. Enforcement has seized large amounts, including 92 tons in France in 2025, but supply remains strong.

Colombia is especially important because it produces 70% of the world’s cocaine. The country therefore sits at the center of the supply chain described in the article. Its production levels affect how much cocaine can move toward markets in the United States, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere.

Researchers from the United Nations report that Colombia has more coca leaf and produces more cocaine than at any other time in its history. Coca leaf is the raw material used to make cocaine. This record output means traffickers can continue supplying international markets even when authorities destroy boats or seize shipments. It also helps explain abundant product, falling prices, and high purity abroad.

The record does not mean every shipment succeeds. More than 70 boats were destroyed and about 240 crew members died. But the wider supply chain remains productive. Traffickers are changing routes and transport methods while Colombia continues generating unusually large volumes.

Supply, demand, prices, and enforcement are connected. Enforcement can remove boats, cargo, or crews from the market. If enough supply is blocked, availability may fall and prices may rise. But if producers still have large stocks and buyers remain willing to purchase, the market can redirect shipments instead of disappearing.

This pattern appears in the article. U.S. attacks destroyed more than 70 boats and were estimated to disrupt $1.5 billion in cocaine. Yet traffickers moved through rivers, containers, cargo ships, fishing boats, semisubmersibles, and new platforms. Colombia also reached record levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production. These alternatives kept the broader supply strong.

The result was lower wholesale pricing and high purity. Miami prices fell to about $16,500 per kilogram, while European prices reached as little as $16,000 in some cities. The article’s evidence suggests that route-specific enforcement can cause disruption without reducing total supply for long.