US still destroys drug boats when needed, says Rubio

The United States continues to destroy suspected drug-trafficking vessels when necessary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, while stressing that each operation is reviewed by lawyers and conducted under agreements with regional partners.

“Well, again, it depends; and we still blow up ships if need be,” Rubio told reporters at the US Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.

Rubio said the approach depended on the country, location of the vessel and threat involved. Many recent actions were joint operations conducted in the territorial waters of partner countries, he said.

“So it depends on the vessel; it depends on the threat it poses; it depends on where it’s located,” Rubio said. The United States must follow the laws and procedures of partner countries while operating in their waters, he added.

“The important point is that these routes are being disrupted. These routes are being ended,” he said.

Rubio said every target went through a legal review at the Department of War. Operational decisions were made on a case-by-case basis. “So I think, really, it’s a strike-by-strike or operation-by-operation determination,” he said.

Rubio distinguished the joint missions from unilateral operations conducted in international waters early last year. Combined operations required Washington and its partners to agree on procedures, he said.

The secretary declined to address a reporter’s claim that three vessels had been destroyed near the Galapagos Islands under a covert CIA programme.

“I’m not going to comment on your reporting. I don’t even know if your reporting is accurate when you say that,” he said. Rubio said Washington had not hidden its campaign against drug-trafficking boats. He added that the effort had expanded through cooperation with countries in the region.

“We’ve been doing it now for over a year, and now the difference is that we’re doing it in collaboration and in cooperation with – working alongside countries in the region, in their territorial waters,” he said.

Asked about the risk to fishermen, Rubio said the operations targeted traffickers, drug boats and illegal fishing. “Our goal is not to go after fishermen; our goal is to go after drug traffickers,” he said.

Rubio also identified Mexico’s cartels as the central challenge. He said Mexico had stepped up its response, but its efforts remained insufficient.

“The case of Mexico -- it’s an even graver challenge because of the size of the country, because of the power of the cartels that are there,” he said.

Rubio said Washington preferred to confront the threat in cooperation with Mexican authorities. “But eventually, that threat will have to be confronted, one way or the other,” he added.

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