Sen. Rand Paul questions Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the strikes on alleged drug boats, at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, June 2, 2026.

At a June 2 Senate hearing where Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified, Paul said it was "interesting that the three secret criteria we're using to blow up the boats doesn't include whether they have drugs on board" and that "neither is arms", adding that "a lot of people would have questions, which I still do". He also said Coast Guard statistics show that about one in four alleged drug boats stopped through interdiction have no drugs aboard.

“I think it's interesting that the three secret criteria we're using to blow up the boats doesn't include whether they have drugs on board. I would like to add that the statistics from the Coast Guard also say that when we interdict alleged drug boats in the historic way, the way we've always done it, about one in four don't have drugs. We make mistakes. We see something suspicious about the boat, we stop them, and they don't have drugs on board. I would also like to add that drugs is not a criteria for blowing up the boats, the boats that are called drug boats, but neither is arms. So in order to blow them up, we don't have to say that they're armed or have drugs. I think a lot of people would have questions, which I still do.”