Which Caribbean islands are major transshipment hubs for Venezuelan cocaine bound for the US?
Executive summary
Major Caribbean transshipment hubs for cocaine linked to Venezuela and broader South American flows include the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Aruba, Curaçao, Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago — each flagged in U.S., UN and policy analyses for seizures, geography or repeated use by traffickers [1] [2] [3] [4]. Analysts caution the bulk of U.S.-bound cocaine still moves via Pacific and Central American/Mexican routes, so the Caribbean’s role is often more prominent for shipments to Europe and as intermediate points rather than as the singular route into the U.S. [5] [6] [1].
1. Geography and proximity: why some islands sit at the center of transshipment networks
Islands closest to Venezuela and northern South America are natural transshipment points because short sea distances, porous maritime space and commercial links let traffickers move tonnage from Venezuelan and Colombian departure points onto intermediate vessels; Aruba and Curaçao are singled out for direct links to the Dutch European market because Aruba lies only about 14 miles from Venezuela and Dutch territories intercepted tens of tonnes in recent years [2] [1]. Guyana and Suriname, on South America’s Atlantic flank, act as staging grounds for shipments that then transit north into Caribbean waters, with U.S. Treasury and ICE noting repeated use of Guyanese airstrips and maritime routes in multi-ton operations [7] [3].
2. The Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Eastern Caribbean: high seizure totals and emerging hubs
The Dominican Republic has been described as the Caribbean’s cocaine hub on grounds of large seizures—nearly 18 tons reported in 2023—and its strategic location between producer nations and markets in the U.S. and Europe [8]. Haiti has seen record maritime seizures and UN reporting that it is “rapidly becoming a central hub,” with a 1,045 kg seizure off Île de la Tortue in 2025 underlining the point [4]. CSIS and UN analyses list both the Dominican Republic and Haiti among islands that play significant transshipment roles to Europe and the U.S. [1] [4].
3. Lesser-known but consequential nodes: Trinidad & Tobago, the Bahamas, Jamaica and the BVI
Trinidad and Tobago appears repeatedly in law enforcement reporting as a locus where vessels originating in Guyana or elsewhere have been intercepted en route, and U.S. agency sanctions link regional maritime movements through Trinidadian waters [7] [9]. Historical and policy accounts highlight the Bahamas and Jamaica as long-standing corridors to South Florida and the U.S. East Coast—routes traffickers still exploit when interdiction pressure shifts flows away from more-monitored corridors [10] [11]. British Overseas Territories in the eastern Caribbean, including the British Virgin Islands, have also been noted as vulnerable points used to move shipments toward Europe and North America [1].
4. The Europe angle: Dutch Caribbean and Suriname as gateways to Europe
European demand and networks make the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Curaçao) and Suriname notable because they provide short sea or air bridges directly to the Netherlands and broader European ports; European authorities have intercepted shipments originating in these territories, and CSIS maps emphasize their role in transatlantic flows [2] [1]. The economics matter: higher European prices incentivize routing through the Caribbean to either ship directly or transship to West Africa and then to Europe [2] [12].
5. Big-picture caution: Caribbean role varies by destination and time, and U.S.-bound flows often take other routes
Multiple U.S. government and independent analysts stress that most cocaine reaching the United States moves via Pacific and Central American/Mexican corridors rather than eastward through Venezuela into the Caribbean; U.S. monitoring and DEA reporting estimate a large share of U.S.-bound flows use the Eastern Pacific or Western Caribbean vectors, meaning Caribbean islands are more central for European-bound or intermediate movements [5] [6] [13]. Policymakers and reporters therefore must avoid a one-size-fits-all narrative that treats the Caribbean as the primary U.S. gateway—available sources show a mixed geography that depends on destination markets and enforcement pressure [5] [6].
6. What the sources agree on — and what they don’t
Sources converge that weak governance, corruption and limited interdiction capacity make many Caribbean islands attractive transshipment points and that recent large seizures in places like the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Dutch territories show active use of the region as a conduit [1] [8] [4]. Sources diverge, however, on the magnitude of Venezuela’s direct role in shipments to the U.S.: several U.S. reports and indictments treat Venezuela as a transit hub, while monitoring data and analysts emphasize that most U.S.-bound cocaine flows via the Pacific/Central America and Mexico route, not predominantly through eastern Caribbean channels [3] [5] [6].
Limitations: reporting reflects seizures, policy designations and analytic estimates that vary by year and by agency; available sources do not provide a definitive tonnage breakdown per island for Venezuelan-origin cocaine bound specifically for the U.S.