Unlike the CIA, the SIS (MI6) has never had a priority interest in Latin America. For a long time, its only station in Buenos Aires covered the entire continent, with British intelligence relying heavily on CIA reports (ia802802.us.archive).
In the modern era, MI6 runs operations in Colombia and the Caribbean basin, mainly as part of the fight against drug trafficking. However, intelligence sharing with the U.S. on these operations was partially suspended in late 2025 amid American strikes on Venezuelan narco boats – out of concerns that British military personnel and intelligence officers could become complicit in war crimes (observer.co).
The key difference between the modern era and the Cold War period is that the CIA has moved from fully covert operations to a more open use of military force combined with intelligence missions, as seen in the example of Venezuela in 2025–2026. The SIS, by contrast, maintains a minimal presence in the region, dependent on its partnership with the U.S. and constrained by legal-security considerations.