CIA playing most important part' in US strikes in the Caribbean, sources say

"The Central Intelligence Agency is providing the bulk of the intelligence used to carry out the controversial lethal air strikes by the Trump administration against small, fast-going boats in the Caribbean Sea suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela, according to three sources familiar with the operations. Experts say the agency's central role means much of the evidence used to select which alleged smugglers to kill on the open sea will almost certainly remain secret."

"The sources say the CIA is providing real-time intelligence collected by satellites and signal intercepts to detect which boats it believes are loaded with drugs, tracking their routes and making the recommendations about which vessels should be hit by missiles. They are the most important part of it, said one of the sources. Two sources said that the drones or other aircraft actually launching the missiles used to sink the boats belong to the US military, not the CIA."

The CIA provides the bulk of intelligence guiding lethal air strikes against small, fast boats in the Caribbean suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela. The agency supplies real-time satellite and signal-intercept data to detect suspect boats, track routes, and recommend which vessels to strike. The missiles that sink the boats are fired from US military drones or other aircraft rather than CIA aircraft. Much of the intelligence and evidence used to select alleged smugglers for targeting will likely remain classified and out of public view. CIA intelligence is not produced as legal evidence and can range from solid facts to far less certain information.

Read at www.theguardian.com