US President Donald Trump announced that the US military had destroyed a “large drug-smuggling submarine“ heading to the United States.
“It was an honor to destroy a large drug-smuggling submarine heading to the United States. US intelligence has confirmed that the vessel was carrying fentanyl and other illegal substances“, he wrote on Truth Social. He added that two of the four people on board were killed, while the two survivors will be returned to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.
Earlier, Reuters, citing sources, reported that the US military was holding two survivors aboard a ship after an attack on October 16 on another ship off the coast of Venezuela, which was allegedly used for drug trafficking.
Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of failing to adequately combat drug smuggling. In his speech to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on September 23, Trump said that the military would continue to attack ships that the United States believes are linked to Venezuelan drug cartels led by President Nicolas Maduro. US media reported that the United States could begin striking drug cartel targets in Venezuela in the next few weeks.