Former President Donald Trump announced that U.S. military forces carried out a major strike in the Caribbean Sea, destroying a narco-submarine allegedly carrying fentanyl and other drugs. Trump said two suspected traffickers were killed and two were captured, calling the mission a major victory against cartels and a direct step toward reducing overdose deaths in the United States. He pushed for the release of a dramatic video showing surveillance footage and precision strikes against the vessel.
According to Trump, the submarine was a semi-submersible craft built specifically for trafficking. Such vessels sit low in the water, making them difficult to detect and capable of transporting multiple tons of narcotics. Trump claimed the mission may have prevented up to 25,000 deaths, tying the operation to the nation’s worsening fentanyl crisis.
Pentagon officials confirmed privately that the strike was part of a month-old anti-narcotics campaign involving the Navy, Coast Guard, and CIA. They reported that the submarine likely departed from Venezuela and was tracked for days along a known trafficking corridor. Two survivors are now in U.S. custody, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they are providing intelligence about cartel networks.
The timing aligns with growing political pressure to curb fentanyl trafficking. Trump has made combating the drug a central theme in his platform, echoing claims that cartels are responsible for unprecedented American deaths. Lawmakers such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have even pushed for extreme penalties for fentanyl smuggling, revealing a broader hard-line movement.
The mission is the sixth major interdiction in the Caribbean since operations escalated. Defense officials also acknowledged a B-52 “show of force” near Venezuelan airspace and expanded CIA involvement, suggesting a widening U.S. counter-narcotics campaign. Critics, however, warn that increased militarization could destabilize the region.
While Trump’s supporters praise the operation as decisive leadership, analysts note uncertainties about his casualty estimates and concerns about coordination with current agencies. The Pentagon continues reviewing the wreckage and expects additional operations based on intelligence gathered from the captured suspects.