The Cost of Sinking Drug Boats

[Dee]

To sink a few alleged drug boats using a supercarrier (USS Gerald Ford) and it's carrier group is costing millions PER HOUR. The USS Supercarrier Gerald Ford a 13 billion dollar ship, by itself is costing 333 million dollars PER HOUR.

Rather than hitting one little boat at a time, if you're serious about stopping the drugtrafficking, HIT THE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, then there won't be any little drug boats, or drugs to smuggle.

All for something Donald Trump said he was against. REGIME CHANGE!


https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/12/sink-speedboat-supercarrier-lopsided-cost-operation-southern-spear/409984/

[nw_hunter]

Yep! And start with the drug facilities in Mexico.
U.S. Department of Justice:
Drug Movement Into and Within the United States - National Drug Threat Assessment 2010 (UNCLASSIFIED)
Most foreign-produced illicit drugs available in the United States are smuggled into the country overland across the borders with Mexico and, to a much lesser extent, Canada. Overland smuggling methods are relatively consistent. However, DTOs often shift routes ...

[Goldie]

Yep ramping up and deploying Coast Guard units with more capabilities and making our southern border more high tech in vulnerabilities seem more logical to me rather than sinking a few boats costing us billions!

[GTS225]

I am still of the opinion that we shouldn't be sinking boats, (drug runners or not), in INTERNATIONAL waters.  We should be waiting until they're within our 3-mile limit, THEN watch them explode and sink.  In that way, no one has a leg to stand on when they complain about such actions.
And I do mean SINK THEM;  not interdict, arrest, or detain.  If they are hailed by a U.S. authority, and fail to answer or identify, they get "splashed", and no further questions are asked.
I also would be in favor of this to extend to aircraft as well.
Make it too expensive for the cartels, no matter where they may be based, to make and ship their product to the U.S.  It is not our responsibility to look out for other sovereign countries in this regard.

Roger

[gypsyman]

I am still of the opinion that we shouldn't be sinking boats, (drug runners or not), in INTERNATIONAL waters.  We should be waiting until they're within our 3-mile limit, THEN watch them explode and sink.  In that way, no one has a leg to stand on when they complain about such actions.
And I do mean SINK THEM;  not interdict, arrest, or detain.  If they are hailed by a U.S. authority, and fail to answer or identify, they get "splashed", and no further questions are asked.
I also would be in favor of this to extend to aircraft as well.
Make it too expensive for the cartels, no matter where they may be based, to make and ship their product to the U.S.  It is not our responsibility to look out for other sovereign countries in this regard.

Roger

   Seems to me, a few years back, there was a video that showed exactly that. Was a Coast Guard boat patrolling the Gulf of Mexico(America-whatever) and had a ma-deuce on the bow. When a drug boat tried to outrun the Coast Guard, they lite him up with the .50's. They ought to let the Coasty's have a little fun. With todays technology, they can spot them when they leave and track them all the way. Instead of sending out all that foreign aid, build a few new boats for our shores.

[Mule 11]

Wouldn’t it cost the same no matter where said carrier group is located?

[ironglowz]

I am still of the opinion that we shouldn't be sinking boats, (drug runners or not), in INTERNATIONAL waters.  We should be waiting until they're within our 3-mile limit, THEN watch them explode and sink.  In that way, no one has a leg to stand on when they complain about such actions.
And I do mean SINK THEM;  not interdict, arrest, or detain.  If they are hailed by a U.S. authority, and fail to answer or identify, they get "splashed", and no further questions are asked.
I also would be in favor of this to extend to aircraft as well.
Make it too expensive for the cartels, no matter where they may be based, to make and ship their product to the U.S.  It is not our responsibility to look out for other sovereign countries in this regard.

Roger

   Seems to me, a few years back, there was a video that showed exactly that. Was a Coast Guard boat patrolling the Gulf of Mexico(America-whatever) and had a ma-deuce on the bow. When a drug boat tried to outrun the Coast Guard, they lite him up with the .50's. They ought to let the Coasty's have a little fun. With todays technology, they can spot them when they leave and track them all the way. Instead of sending out all that foreign aid, build a few new boats for our shores.

   Way back in 2004, my eldest grandson was all prepped to join the Coast Guard, because he dearly wanted to be one who was manning the Ma-Deuce on the prow of those speedy crafts.
  A couple months later...he joined the USMC ..went Spec Ops..and was soon manning his Ma-Deuce atop a Humvee.. in Iraq..

[Dee]

I don't think you need a 4 million dollar missile to sink a 20 thousand dollar motor boat.

[ironglowz]

  Not quite so simple as it looks.. 

   Some of the drug running boats are built in Venezuela..others built in other countries.

  We could hit them in Venezuela, but what about those coming from other countries, should we hit another 2-3 nations?

  Interesting to see other countries from Europe , starting to do their share, for once ! 

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/drug-boats-venezuela-are-mainly-moving-cocaine-europe-not-fentanyl-us-rcna244583

[Casull]

  Not quite so simple as it looks.. 

   Some of the drug running boats are built in Venezuela..others built in other countries.

  We could hit them in Venezuela, but what about those coming from other countries, should we hit another 2-3 nations?

  Interesting to see other countries from Europe , starting to do their share, for once ! 

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/drug-boats-venezuela-are-mainly-moving-cocaine-europe-not-fentanyl-us-rcna244583

I have a hard time believing they're shipping drugs across the Atlantic in open outboard boats.

[Bob Riebe]

     One of the AC-130 gunships could turn those boats to confetti in seconds.

[DDZ]

With the DEA's budget soaking up over 3 billion dollars a year, and over 10,000 employees. One Would think there wouldn't be much of a drug problem. Just have to remember its our inept government at work.   

[Graybeard]

Rather silly to talk about how much it cost per hour or per day or whatever. That cost is going to be incurred no matter where those ships are sitting. There is  no extra cost for them to be there as opposed to in the mid east or even in their home port.

[guzzijohn]

I cannot see the legality to be able to just sink the boats and kill survivors. Through my motorcycle activities I know a guy that is a full blown ship caption and a navel engineer. He has spent a fair bit of time sailing these area. According to him these open boats are designed to be and are very seaworthy boats. He said although he is sure that some are drug runners but the majority are the like bush planes in Alaska serving thousands of small islands bringing in fuel and many other things. Fuel is routinely transported in blue barrels.
So what is the excuse or reason for not using the usual coastguard procedures? The coastguard stopped and seized the largest amount of cocaine yet but no boat sunk, no one killed or even injured. The coastguard report for last year ending in October said something like 270 stops made of suspected drug boats 24% had no drugs and no arrests made. This is not how America should act in international or any waters for that matter. My two nickels worth since we no longer have pennies.
You all always claim to be strong believers in the Constitution as currently written but are letting it be shredded my this administration. Where do you all draw the line?

[Casull]

I cannot see the legality to be able to just sink the boats and kill survivors. Through my motorcycle activities I know a guy that is a full blown ship caption and a navel engineer. He has spent a fair bit of time sailing these area. According to him these open boats are designed to be and are very seaworthy boats. He said although he is sure that some are drug runners but the majority are the like bush planes in Alaska serving thousands of small islands bringing in fuel and many other things. Fuel is routinely transported in blue barrels.
So what is the excuse or reason for not using the usual coastguard procedures? The coastguard stopped and seized the largest amount of cocaine yet but no boat sunk, no one killed or even injured. The coastguard report for last year ending in October said something like 270 stops made of suspected drug boats 24% had no drugs and no arrests made. This is not how America should act in international or any waters for that matter. My two nickels worth since we no longer have pennies.
You all always claim to be strong believers in the Constitution as currently written but are letting it be shredded my this administration. Where do you all draw the line?

No different than obama using missiles and drones to take out terrorist cells based on INTELLIGENCE gathering.  He didn't try to raid and arrest.

[ironglowz]

I don't think you need a 4 million dollar missile to sink a 20 thousand dollar motor boat.

  That is the main point which concerns me..  Again; talking logistics.. using a $4 million missile to take out a speedboat that could be just as easily taken out  by Ma Deuce, or at most a 30mm gatling...

  Evidently, most are blown up by Hellfire missiles..  Then again, one big explosion covers much..if our military were to take these drug shippers out with a .50 cal MG or even a heavier MG..any videos of the criminals being mowed down, could be a propaganda for the Dems, as they whine about their dear friends being chopped up !

[Dee]

Actually that isn't true. If you read the article concerning operational cost per hour  on mission flights on aircraft, the  cost per missile used to sink small boats, the cost far outways the missions actual accomplishments, which is intimidating Maduro into leaving the country.
As the article says, it costs  the Un-United States 66,000 times more to sink the boat than the boat costs, and what the boat crew was likely paid.
And we haven't figured the cost of the 20 billion dollar submarine also deploy to the mission.
All these millions spent per hour, while the manufacturerer of these drugs is working at full capacity.

[Mule 11]

I cannot see the legality to be able to just sink the boats and kill survivors. Through my motorcycle activities I know a guy that is a full blown ship caption and a navel engineer. He has spent a fair bit of time sailing these area. According to him these open boats are designed to be and are very seaworthy boats. He said although he is sure that some are drug runners but the majority are the like bush planes in Alaska serving thousands of small islands bringing in fuel and many other things. Fuel is routinely transported in blue barrels.
So what is the excuse or reason for not using the usual coastguard procedures? The coastguard stopped and seized the largest amount of cocaine yet but no boat sunk, no one killed or even injured. The coastguard report for last year ending in October said something like 270 stops made of suspected drug boats 24% had no drugs and no arrests made. This is not how America should act in international or any waters for that matter. My two nickels worth since we no longer have pennies.
You all always claim to be strong believers in the Constitution as currently written but are letting it be shredded my this administration. Where do you all draw the line?

You have no room to talk and a poor excuse of a teacher that can’t spell…

[Mule 11]

Maybe they are using up their expired or nearly expired missiles kinda like me rotating goods in my larder, have to use them or throw them at narco terrorists.

[Dee]

Many of the assets deployed in this Venezuela blitzkreig normally work independently , but are deployed in this intimidation deployment.  There are also land based aircraft being used in this, along with some 15,000 combat troops stationed on ships, and nearby land bases.
Included as of today, the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker I'm sure the reason for that is going to be quite interesting.
This latest development directly involved combat troops.
Quit hittin the little guy that's makin $500.00 for driving a boat, and hit the guy that's making the drugs/narcotics.

[guzzijohn]

So far no one has been willing to answer my questions. Just the usual deflections and insults. Come on, you all  can do better than that.
GuzziJohn

[Goldie]

Legality? The way I see it is Trump is trying to Crack down on illegal drugs coming into this country.  Is it the right way? With Biden letting in millions of undocumented people look where we are at now! You liberals and your evil rhetoric are ruining this country and everything good about it.  Biden left this country in shambles and everything Trump does is criticized by idiots and stupid evil people like you. I wonder if if you thought the same about your Obama presidency killing innocent people for his causes?

[DDZ]

I doubt the boats were blown up if they didn't know for sure they were loaded with drugs. Capturing the drugs on shore works, but the people involved would be sent back to their country, to just run another boat load of drugs. Obviously there are a lot of drugs that reach shore, and are not confiscated. What better way to stop them than to kill them? Sounds harsh, but it works. Also makes the next drug runners think twice about hauling a boat load of drugs to our shore.

[ironglowz]

I cannot see the legality to be able to just sink the boats and kill survivors. Through my motorcycle activities I know a guy that is a full blown ship caption and a navel engineer. He has spent a fair bit of time sailing these area.
   I rather doubt a ship captain from the US would have better G2 (intelligence) than our agencies which specialize in intelligence gathering.  Does he expect  the captains of drug running boats would truly inform him, if they are carrying drugs ?

  According to him these open boats are designed to be and are very seaworthy boats. He said although he is sure that some are drug runners but the majority are the like bush planes in Alaska serving thousands of small islands bringing in fuel and many other things. Fuel is routinely transported in blue barrels.

   Not according to international standards ! https://shop.iccsafe.org/2021-international-fuel-gas-coder.html?hsa_acc=9306270912&hsa_cam=405744721&hsa_grp=1164383522300105&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=o&hsa_tgt=kwd-727

   
So what is the excuse or reason for not using the usual coastguard procedures? The coastguard stopped and seized the largest amount of cocaine yet but no boat sunk, no one killed or even injured. The coastguard report for last year ending in October said something like 270 stops made of suspected drug boats 24% had no drugs and no arrests made. This is not how America should act in international or any waters for that matter. My two nickels worth since we no longer have pennies.
You all always claim to be strong believers in the Constitution as currently written but are letting it be shredded my this administration. Where do you all draw the line?

   The difference now, is that the Madero regime's drug cartels have been labelled as terrorists, so they should be cut off as such !  

   https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-cartel-soles-us-drugs-terrorist-f778922c04b4f514092bd29b91e77358

   Curiously; I don't recall you being so outraged, when these Hellfire missile strikes were reported;

   https://www.newsweek.com/wedding-became-funeral-us-still-silent-one-year-deadly-yemen-drone-strike-291403

   https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/joe-biden-criticised-as-new-footage-suggests-kabul-drone-strike-killed-us-aid-worker/news-story/d95d9105854fcd3506c510666413

   ...It seems that once again, the hard left is determined to cast their support behind the illegal immigrants, the subway assaulters, the BLM rioters, the drug runners and the Communists, whenever they pull off an attack on our native born Americans..

  ...And don't kid yourself, the drug offensive against America is just as deadly and has killed as many Americans as all our wars since WW2 !


   

   

[Dee]

...And don't kid yourself, the drug offensive against America is just as deadly and has killed as many Americans as all our wars since WW2 !

Couldn't agree with you more, and if our current president were serious about his war on drugs he would stop blowing up little boats in the carribean, and start hitting the Coca plant growers and the cocaine processing locations.
How would he do that? Agent Orange is a defoliant. It worked on Vietnam foliage and GIs. It would do the same on the Coca plants, and the growers. Then there wouldn't be any little motorboats with which most are bound for European markets anyway.

[ironglowz]

...And don't kid yourself, the drug offensive against America is just as deadly and has killed as many Americans as all our wars since WW2 !

Couldn't agree with you more, and if our current president were serious about his war on drugs he would stop blowing up little boats in the carribean, and start hitting the Coca plant growers and the cocaine processing locations.
How would he do that? Agent Orange is a defoliant. It worked on Vietnam foliage and GIs. It would do the same on the Coca plants, and the growers. Then there wouldn't be any little motorboats with which most are bound for European markets anyway.

   Agent orange would likely  work, but I assume the president does want to avoid injuring those innocents who are not involved in the drug business.  Perhaps some of the hesitance is also the fact that there is an element of slave labor, being used in the drug manufacturing.

  Then too, after the Vietnam experience I doubt anybody anywhere, wants to be caught deploying any agent orange.

  Just see how nuts the nuts the world media are going after sinking a drug boat with it's cargo..

[Dee]

...And don't kid yourself, the drug offensive against America is just as deadly and has killed as many Americans as all our wars since WW2 !

Couldn't agree with you more, and if our current president were serious about his war on drugs he would stop blowing up little boats in the carribean, and start hitting the Coca plant growers and the cocaine processing locations.
How would he do that? Agent Orange is a defoliant. It worked on Vietnam foliage and GIs. It would do the same on the Coca plants, and the growers. Then there wouldn't be any little motorboats with which most are bound for European markets anyway.

   Agent orange would likely  work, but I assume the president does want to avoid injuring those innocents who are not involved in the drug business.  Perhaps some of the hesitance is also the fact that there is an element of slave labor, being used in the drug manufacturing.

  Then too, after the Vietnam experience I doubt anybody anywhere, wants to be caught deploying any agent orange.

  Just see how nuts the nuts the world media are going after sinking a drug boat with it's cargo..

Agent Orange was sarcasm, I doubt it is even produced given its noteiriety for its effects on soldiers. Blowing up boats with minions piloting them is more theatrical than aerial spraying poppy fields. A crop duster can spray a huge area in a very short time, but isn't violent enough.
This war on Venezuelan drugs has nothing to do with drugs. Most of the cocaine shipped by water is bound for Europe. There are a myriad of defoliants that would wipe out the poppy fields in Venezuela, Columbia, and other cocaine suppliers.

[Graybeard]

For a supposed drug busting cop you don't seem to know much about drugs. Poppy fields don't produce cocaine, coca plants do. Heroin and opium come from poppy plants.

Again the extra cost of  having those ships where they are is minimal. Where ever they would be they would be doing the same thing and costing a similar amount of money other than the explosive used to take out a boat from time to time.

[Dee]

For a supposed drug busting cop you don't seem to know much about drugs. Poppy fields don't produce cocaine, coca plants do. Heroin and opium come from poppy plants.

Again the extra cost of  having those ships where they are is minimal. Where ever they would be they would be doing the same thing and costing a similar amount of money other than the explosive used to take out a boat from time to time.

Read my post #24 Bill. I discussed coca plants there. I was talking with ironglowz generally about narcotics producing plants, but I'm sure you know far more about drugs, drug busting, and cops in general than myself. Your opinion on this topic is far different than mine, thats obvious, but I can also see where this is going. You don't like the subject, or my opinions on it, your mad, so here come the insults. I'm getting similar pms from Lloyd, he's thrilled with it, so you and he can celebrate together. Its your website, and your right to handle things anyway you chose.
Have a nice day and much future success with GBO RELOADED.

[Bob Riebe]

Agent Orange was sarcasm, I doubt it is even produced given its noteiriety for its effects on soldiers. Blowing up boats with minions piloting them is more theatrical than aerial spraying poppy fields. A crop duster can spray a huge area in a very short time, but isn't violent enough.
This war on Venezuelan drugs has nothing to do with drugs. Most of the cocaine shipped by water is bound for Europe. There are a myriad of defoliants that would wipe out the poppy fields in Venezuela, Columbia, and other cocaine suppliers.

Dan:
Roundup was developed from Agent Orange.
Now with the military armored crop duster aircraft, they could, IF they wished, spray a snall area to let the people growing the drug plants that we could , if we wated to, kill every field they have.

The man reason we probaly will not is - they are just poor people working for a living - BS.
Now in some of the other countries, I see no reason THIER military could not do that very thing.

The Colombians, if they get rid of their left wing leader, still used  updated AC-47 aircraft. One of those could eliminate a whole lot bad guys in one pass.
AT that, that is what Mexico should be using on the cartels.

I also used to engage in a of- tit for tat,- exchanges but found it made more sense to just let it be.