Brekelmans stated, “We have collaborated with the Americans on counter-narcotics for many years, but our approach differs. We aim to arrest and prosecute those responsible for drug smuggling, not by shooting ships.”
The Dutch newspaper Trouw first reported the decision.
This decision deviates from previous practices.
For years, the Netherlands, overseeing six Caribbean islands, worked closely with the U.S. and other regional partners, including the Joint Interagency Task Force South. Dutch defense and coast guard coordinated with U.S. counterparts for surveillance, interdiction, arrests, and extraditions.
Brekelmans noted that the change comes with the method adopted by the Trump administration.
“Outside our territorial waters, we observe that the Americans have resumed a national approach,” he said. “The U.S. is conducting its operations independently, without our participation.”
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