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Trump Says Survivors of Caribbean ‘Drug Sub’ Strike Repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia

The move comes as the administration casts the maritime campaign as wartime action against cartels, drawing legal scrutiny and regional concern.

Overview

  • U.S. forces struck a semi‑submersible vessel Thursday in the Caribbean, killing two people and rescuing two survivors.
  • President Trump released video of the strike and said intelligence indicated the vessel carried mostly fentanyl, a claim not supported by publicly disclosed evidence.
  • The two survivors were held aboard a U.S. Navy ship before transfer, and Colombia’s president confirmed his country received its national for legal processing.
  • Sending the detainees to their home countries avoids immediate questions over their status in the U.S. justice system as lawmakers and legal experts challenge the campaign’s authority.
  • The operation was at least the sixth since early September, with the administration’s tally putting total deaths at no fewer than 29 and the buildup stoking tensions with Venezuela.