President Donald Trump announced Saturday that a U.S. military operation in the Caribbean destroyed a \u201cvery large drug-carrying submarine,\u201d killing two suspected narco-terrorists and capturing two others. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said the vessel carried \u201cfentanyl and other narcotics\u201d toward the U.S. on a \u201cwell-known narcotrafficking transit route.\u201d He claimed the interdiction may have prevented up to 25,000 American overdose deaths, adding, \u201cNo U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea.\u201d The Pentagon has not yet disclosed the operation\u2019s name, though it marks the sixth drug-smuggling vessel intercepted since combat operations began in the region last month.<\/p>\n
Fox News reported that two survivors from the strike were rescued by the U.S. Navy and are being held aboard an American warship. Trump confirmed their identities and nationalities, offering the first official details of the incident. He first referenced the strike during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, saying, \u201cWe attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for transporting massive amounts of drugs.\u201d Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said more details would be released soon, while U.S. Air Force B-52s conducted a \u201cshow of force\u201d near Venezuelan waters as part of broader regional operations.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes amid renewed political focus on America\u2019s fentanyl crisis. Lawmakers such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar have proposed death penalties or life sentences for fentanyl traffickers, citing the drug\u2019s devastating toll. Greene called fentanyl \u201cthe leading killer of young people, 18-34,\u201d while Gosar criticized \u201cBiden\u2019s open border policies\u201d for worsening the crisis. Both argue for tougher measures, emphasizing that the fentanyl epidemic has claimed more American lives than all combat deaths in U.S. history combined.<\/p>\n