Perfidy on the High Seas

ronib

I can’t for one minute believe that Trump doesn’t have accurate information on drug traffickers. He is really trying to make the world a better place by removing this appalling trade in human life. The traffickers have been warned repeatedly so it’s up to them to stop this evil trade if they want to stay alive. Actions and consequences?

If you read my second link you will see that yes, this is an enormous problem which the UK, for one, has been tackling for years and it gives just one example,e of how the UK deals with this, without resorting to piracy in international waters.

It seems that the rule in the US now is to shoot and kill first, ask questions (or make up excuses) later.

I think if the boat had been an innocent fishing boat then the world would know by now.
These narco boats contain armed vicious men, don’t waste any tears on them.

ronib

I can’t for one minute believe that Trump doesn’t have accurate information on drug traffickers. He is really trying to make the world a better place by removing this appalling trade in human life. The traffickers have been warned repeatedly so it’s up to them to stop this evil trade if they want to stay alive. Actions and consequences?

what about the innocent people on the sea in that area going about their legitimate business to make a living on a boat; fishing, transport, trade. That's what people do in coastal areas.

Should they stay ashore too?

We've all seen Trump make wildly wrong, unfounded , invented accusations as a tactic to justify his worst excesses .
He's a liar and law breaker at everything he touches.

So those who are congratulating Trumps actions - can we assume that you are supportive of law breaking and anarchy?

Because that is what we are talking about.

As part of my working life I was active in the fight against the drug trade, cooperating with our European partners, but we always and still do work under the rule of law. I would never have had it any other way.

We are a civilised group of nations. Let’s keep it that way.

I don’t mind any government going in hard on drug cartels or anyone involved in the drugs trade, it’s hateful and ruins lives.
Those men are despicable.

They are also heavily armed.So let’s just ask them for a nice chat and to hand over their boat.

I’m not convinced that you know what you are talking about.

Oreo

I think if the boat had been an innocent fishing boat then the world would know by now.
These narco boats contain armed vicious men, don’t waste any tears on them.

I think you’re missing point, we learn in primary school or earlier, that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Of course drug smugglers need to be stopped, but we need to utilise legal means to stop illegal activity.

Whitewavemark2

So those who are congratulating Trumps actions - can we assume that you are supportive of law breaking and anarchy?

Because that is what we are talking about.

As part of my working life I was active in the fight against the drug trade, cooperating with our European partners, but we always and still do work under the rule of law. I would never have had it any other way.

We are a civilised group of nations. Let’s keep it that way.

Yes!

Oreo

I don’t mind any government going in hard on drug cartels or anyone involved in the drugs trade, it’s hateful and ruins lives.
Those men are despicable.

“Going on hard” no issue, using other illegal means? I object to vehemently, it opens doors to all manner of actions which would ultimately damage our justice system. Drug running is despicable, so is knife crime, so are shootings, so are groomers, and so on, shall we just swoop over these groups and shoot them without questions?

What’s civilised about the number of deaths caused by illegal drug taking?

ronib

What’s civilised about the number of deaths caused by illegal drug taking?

Again, no one here is saying drug smuggling is ok or that the smugglers are “civilised”

You’re simply deflecting Trump’s actions and normalising them.

WE are the civilised beings, yes, we should fight and stop wrong doing, but within the law.

How many more times are people going to justify killings and illegal actions, breaking international law, because it stops the bad people? Sounding more and more like Trump everyday

Clearly all previous attempts to curb the illegal drug trade were not fully successful. So why not ramp up the enforcement process? It should have a net benefit? More people alive at the end of the day. Or do we all have to conform to denigrating Trump at every turn?

ronib

Clearly all previous attempts to curb the illegal drug trade were not fully successful. So why not ramp up the enforcement process? It should have a net benefit? More people alive at the end of the day. Or do we all have to conform to denigrating Trump at every turn?

I’m not aware of the other previous actions Trump has taken to combat drug smuggling? Maybe you can point me to some of them?

Again, no one here has, to my knowledge, supported violent drug smugglers nor think no action should be taken.

Btw, I worked one day a week in a drug rehab unit, with or without violent drug smugglers, many people choose to misuse both legal and illegal drugs, that is a whole different thread for debate.

This thread isn’t about stopping or not stopping drug smuggling, it’s about the way in which it was done and whether that was legal.

The legal point is that an aeroplane was camouflaged? But even if it had appeared in the sky without camouflage, and started to bomb the drug carrier for good reason, what is the difference?

The boats are ordered to stop, they try to outrun the warship so it is assumed they are drug boats and they get sunk, sounds good to me

If I was ordered to stop, like any sensible person I would stop

Ronib 10.33 "The reasons for Trump’s actions seem highly laudable. Drugs kill many people".

Then why has Trump pardoned and granted pardons to a significant number of drug traffickers? E.g. just one recent example December 2025 Trump freed the former Honduras President Hernandez who had been convicted of helping smuggle more tha 400 tons of cocaine into the US.

Maybe Trump felt that the supply of cocaine had been sufficiently disrupted and that there were mitigating circumstances to pardon Hernandez. No idea. But the fact that Trump pardoned Hernandez doesn’t mean that he will be free to resume cocaine smuggling. Strange occupation for a president ?

David49

The boats are ordered to stop, they try to outrun the warship so it is assumed they are drug boats and they get sunk, sounds good to me

If I was ordered to stop, like any sensible person I would stop

No ship can outrun an aeroplane.

A quick google search suggests that Trump is keen to overturn Biden’s decisions and that Hernandez may have been harshly treated.

Whitewavemark2

So those who are congratulating Trumps actions - can we assume that you are supportive of law breaking and anarchy?

Because that is what we are talking about.

As part of my working life I was active in the fight against the drug trade, cooperating with our European partners, but we always and still do work under the rule of law. I would never have had it any other way.

We are a civilised group of nations. Let’s keep it that way.

As part of my working life I was active in the fight against the drug trade
It does seem to me that, despite all our efforts, we were fighting a losing battle but the answer is not piracy on the high seas, shooting first, asking questions later.

Whitewavemark2

David49

The boats are ordered to stop, they try to outrun the warship so it is assumed they are drug boats and they get sunk, sounds good to me

If I was ordered to stop, like any sensible person I would stop

No ship can outrun an aeroplane.

it is assumed they are drug boats

Never assume anything, especially if it means lives are lost.

David49

The boats are ordered to stop, they try to outrun the warship so it is assumed they are drug boats and they get sunk, sounds good to me

If I was ordered to stop, like any sensible person I would stop

Mmm It is assumed they are drug boats?

Where exactly are these boats ? International waters or USA waters?

Mmm what do you assume the cargo is Cossy? Bananas?