A "very large" drug carrying submarine that was approaching the US was hit and destroyed by US military, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday. He claimed that if the ship had made it to shore, at least 25,000 Americans would have perished.
Following a military attack on their "drug smuggling submarine" in the Caribbean that claimed two lives, Trump also announced that the US was returning two alleged drug traffickers to their native Ecuador and Colombia.
A video of the strike was made public by the White House and uploaded via Donald Trump's Truth Social post.
The attack on the ship, with constant gunfire as it passes through the ocean, is plainly visible in the video.
"Destroying a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route was an honor for me," Trump stated.
The ship was laden with fentanyl and other drugs, he noted. The terrorists were slain in two cases.The two terrorists who are still alive are being sent back to Ecuador and Colombia, where they will be held and prosecuted.
The repatriation of the Colombian suspect was confirmed by President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.
"We are happy that he is still alive and that the law will be followed in his prosecution," Petro stated on X.
Trump claimed that the strike was a part of a military operation to stop the flow of drugs into the US from Latin America.
At least six vessels, primarily speedboats, have been the target of US strikes in the Caribbean since September; some of these strikes are thought to have originated in Venezuela.
Although Washington has asserted that these strikes are dealing drug traffickers a severe blow, it has not offered proof that the 27 individuals slain thus far were smugglers.
Even if they target verified drug dealers, experts and rights organizations have stated that such summary strikes are unlawful.
The US has not disclosed the submarine's departure location. Cocaine has traditionally been transported from South America, primarily Colombia, to Central America or Mexico, frequently across the Pacific Ocean, using semi-submersible ships constructed at covert jungle shipyards.
