But the months-long attacks have reportedly done little to combat the flow of illicit drugs into the country, raising questions about the effectiveness of an operation that law of war experts say amounts to extrajudicial killings and war crimes.
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The cost of the operations has exploded to at least $4.7 billion, according to research from the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. That total includes more than $3.8 million on naval deployments, $616 million on aircraft deployments, $15 million on special operation forces, and tens of millions of dollars spent on munitions, researchers found.

And yet cocaine, by far the most-exported drug from South America, “remains highly available, highly prevalent and relatively inexpensive,” Dr. Carl Latkin, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, told the newspaper.

Gen. Francis Donovan, who is overseeing the strikes as head of U.S. Southern Command, told members of Congress that the strikes are forcing alleged traffickers to change their patterns — but they’re not “the answer.”