Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The move to treat criminals as if they were wartime combatants escalated an administration pattern of using military force for law enforcement tasks at home and abroad.

By ordering the U.S. military to summarily kill a group of people aboard what he said was a drug-smuggling boat, President Trump used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power.

Mr. Trump is claiming the power to shift maritime counterdrug efforts from law enforcement rules to wartime rules. The police arrest criminal suspects for prosecution and cannot instead simply gun suspects down, except in rare circumstances where they pose an imminent threat to someone.

By contrast, in armed conflicts, troops can lawfully kill enemy combatants on sight.

Because killing people is so extreme — and doing it without due process risks killing the wrong people by mistake — the question of which rules apply is not simply a matter of policy choice. Domestic and international law both set standards constraining when presidents and nations can lawfully use wartime force.

After breaking new ground by labeling drug cartels as “terrorists,” the president is now redefining the peacetime criminal problem of drug trafficking as an armed conflict, and telling the U.S. military to treat even suspected low-level drug smugglers as combatants. » | Charlie Savage | Reporting from Washington | Thursday, September 4, 2025

Cocaine for Germany | DW Documentary

Nov 23, 2023 | Germany is flooded with cocaine. Since 2017, cocaine residue in Berlin's sewage has doubled. Since the pandemic, sales of cocaine across Germany have rocketed. The addictive potential of the drug is often underestimated and legal prohibitions do little to deter dealers or users.

This documentary sheds light on new international smuggling routes and methods that are causing ever greater problems for law enforcement agencies. One indication of the rising wave of cocaine: although the number of controls in Germany has stagnated, the amount seized has doubled in recent years. In early 2021, customs investigators in the port of Hamburg made the largest cocaine find in Germany and Europe to date: 16 tons. Where does the cocaine come from and who is profiting from its smuggling and sale?


I wish Rishi Sunak would watch this alarming documentary. All Sunak worries about is people enjoying a relatively harmless cigarette made of tobacco. The scourge of hard drugs like this is what I call problematic, not whether a person enjoys the occasional cigarette, or not. The man needs to get some perspective.

WARNING: Under no circumstances is this documentary suitable for children; unquestionably, it is suitable only for adults. – © Mark Alexander

Duterte's Son Questioned over Illegal Drug Smuggling

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's son has told a Senate inquiry he has no links to drug smuggling. Paolo Duterte is being questioned over a seized shipment containing $125m worth of narcotics from China. The president has said he will resign if any members of his family were involved in the illegal trade.