The United Kingdom has suspended intelligence cooperation with the United States on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, citing concerns over the legality and ethics of recent lethal airstrikes.

The decision, announced by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, follows 19 U.S. operations since September that destroyed 20 boats and killed 76 people—marking a dramatic shift from traditional interdiction tactics to treating traffickers as enemy combatants.

“We cannot endorse actions that risk civilian lives or breach global norms,” Lammy stated, emphasizing that cooperation will continue on non-lethal fronts. The move aligns with similar suspensions by Canada and Colombia, and comes amid internal dissent within the U.S., including Pentagon lawyers questioning the legality of the strikes under existing rules of engagement.

The U.S. Southern Command defended the operations as “precision” responses to narco-terror threats, targeting trafficking routes from Colombia to Central America. However, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have condemned the strikes as “extrajudicial killings.”

UK officials briefed on the operations expressed alarm over potential collateral damage in densely trafficked maritime zones. “Intelligence is vital, but not at the cost of ethics,” a Foreign Office source said.

The suspension could strain the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, though non-lethal data exchange remains intact. As the U.S. reviews its own conduct, the UK’s decision highlights growing international rifts over the militarization of anti-drug efforts under President Donald Trump’s administration.