Four CARICOM member states — The Bahamas, Belize, Haiti, and Jamaica — have been named among the world’s major drug transit or illicit drug-producing countries by United States President Donald Trump.
The designation came in Trump’s “Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2026” submitted to the United States Congress. Other countries on the list include Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Trump noted that a country’s inclusion on the list “is not necessarily a reflection of its government’s counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States,” but rather reflects geographic, commercial, and economic factors that make them vulnerable to drug trafficking or production. He cited provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which defines the criteria for designation.
However, he said Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela had “failed demonstrably” over the past year to meet their international counternarcotics obligations or take adequate action under the Act.
According to international sources, Trump told Congress that transnational organized crime’s trafficking of Fentanyl and other deadly drugs has created a national emergency and a public health crisis in the United States, now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 44. He pointed out that more than 40 percent of Americans know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, with the country averaging over 200 deaths daily from illicit drugs in 2024.
Calling the situation “unacceptable,” Trump said his administration was deploying “every aspect of American power” including law enforcement, military resources, and economic pressure on neighbouring states to combat drug trafficking. He warned that countries where drugs originate or transit must fulfil their obligations to shut off supplies “or face serious consequences.”
While he provided detailed commentary on some countries, Trump gave no specific explanation for including the four CARICOM nations on the list.