Internal Report Reveals Military's Desire to Join the Drug War
A decade before President Donald Trump boasted of "hunting" alleged "narcoterrorists" on boats off the coast of Venezuela, the Defense Department was looking for new ways to get involved in the war on drugs.
An Obama-era Pentagon report, obtained by The Intercept through a Freedom of Information Act request, called for "direct military action" in the drug war, presaging Trump's brazen strikes on boats in the Caribbean.
The report presents findings based on interviews with dozens of top drug traffickers incarcerated in the United States, on how to better disrupt transnational organized crime.
- The report provides a window into the inner workings of major drug-trafficking networks.
- Researchers working for the Pentagon presented their findings, including a top-line prescription for more "direct military action".
Author's summary: Military sought to join the drug war with direct action.