President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that a U.S. military operation in the Caribbean successfully destroyed a “very large drug-carrying submarine,” killing two suspected narco-terrorists and capturing two others. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said the vessel was transporting fentanyl and other narcotics along a well-known trafficking route to the United States. He claimed the interdiction could have prevented up to 25,000 American overdose deaths and emphasized that no U.S. forces were harmed during the strike. The operation marks the sixth drug-smuggling vessel intercepted since combat operations began in the region last month, though the Pentagon has not yet disclosed its official name.
Two survivors of the strike were rescued by the U.S. Navy and are being held aboard an American warship, with Trump confirming their identities and nationalities. The president initially referenced the strike during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing the submarine as specially built to transport massive amounts of drugs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that further details about the operation would be released in the near future. In a show of force, U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers conducted flights near Venezuelan waters as part of broader regional operations.
The announcement comes amid growing political attention to the fentanyl crisis in the United States. Lawmakers have increasingly called for tougher measures against traffickers, citing the drug’s devastating impact on young Americans. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar have proposed death penalties or life sentences for fentanyl traffickers, highlighting the epidemic’s high mortality rates and comparing its toll to U.S. combat deaths in history.
Trump framed the operation as part of his commitment to combating “narcoterrorists” and preventing illegal drugs from reaching American shores. Supporters argue that military interventions like this are crucial to addressing the fentanyl crisis, while critics raise questions about the broader implications of U.S. operations in the Caribbean. The strike underscores the administration’s focus on aggressive anti-drug measures as a central component of national security policy.
300 Americans are murdered each day by fentanyl.
It’s the leading killer of young people, 18-34, in America.
Today, I introduced an amendment to H.R. 467 to give the death penalty to criminals who intentionally or knowingly import fentanyl across our Southern border. pic.twitter.com/muoHxMvd61
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 22, 2023
