President Trump says U.S. strike on fentanyl-carrying submarine prevented 25,000 American overdose deaths, with survivors from Ecuador and Colombia captured.<\/b>
\nPresident Donald Trump said Saturday that a U.S. military strike destroyed a \u00ab\u00a0very large drug-carrying submarine\u00a0\u00bb in the Caribbean this week, killing two suspected narcoterrorists and capturing two others alive, while releasing video of the strike.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said the vessel was carrying mostly \u00ab\u00a0fentanyl and other narcotics\u00a0\u00bb toward the U.S. on a \u00ab\u00a0well known narcotrafficking transit route.\u00a0\u00bb He claimed the interdiction prevented as many as 25,000 American overdose deaths.
\u00ab\u00a0It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE\u00a0\u00bb, Trump wrote. \u00ab\u00a0U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl\u2026 There were four known narcoterrorists on board. Two of the terrorists were killed.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.\u00a0\u00bb
Fox News previously confirmed that two survivors were rescued by the U.S. Navy after the strike, and were being held aboard an American warship. Trump\u2019s statement is the first official acknowledgment of their identities and nationalities.
The strike marked the sixth U.S. interdiction of a suspected drug smuggling vessel since combat operations began in the Caribbean last month. The Pentagon has not publicly named the operation.
Trump first referenced the strike publicly during a meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
\u00ab\u00a0We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs\u00a0\u00bb, he told reporters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking separately Friday, did not dispute the existence of survivors but said further details would be released later.
Earlier this week, Trump confirmed he had authorized CIA activity in the region. U.S. Air Force B-52s also flew a visible \u00ab\u00a0show of force\u00a0\u00bb mission near Venezuelan waters on Thursday.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.<\/p>\n