Cuba upholds its role as a key partner in regional security against drug trafficking, despite contradictory US policies. A recent article in The American Conservative highlights overlooked bilateral cooperation. In recent years, Cuban authorities have seized tons of drugs headed to the US market.
A recent article in the US bimonthly magazine The American Conservative argues that Washington's current policy toward Cuba undermines the objectives of its National Security Strategy. The piece notes that Cuba serves as the US government's main security partner in the Caribbean, particularly in combating drug trafficking, contrary to the Trump administration's claims.
The White House declared a 'national emergency' against Cuba, asserting it poses an unusual threat to US security, which the article deems an untenable lie. Prior to political tensions, there were 22 bilateral cooperation instruments and eight technical working groups covering counterterrorism, drug trafficking, cybersecurity, and human trafficking.
At a recent press conference, it was disclosed that Cuba's Border Guard Troops seized over 40 tons of drugs bound for the US in the last 14 years. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, they captured 14 speedboats, arrested 39 drug traffickers, and confiscated more than four tons of substances. In the past two years, they disrupted 72 aerial drug operations from 11 countries, with the US as the primary source.
From 1990 to the end of 2025, Cuba sent 1,547 formal messages to the US Coast Guard regarding drug trafficking incidents, receiving only 468 in return, highlighting an imbalance in cooperation. The article states that 'Cuba is widely recognized as a positive example in the fight against drug trafficking in Latin America, working closely with the US Coast Guard and other agencies to track drug traffickers, share intelligence, and intercept smuggling routes'.
Despite the lack of reciprocity, Cuba continues these efforts, while US policy appears driven by Cold War nostalgia and Florida politics, as per The American Conservative.
