The US military continues to combat drug trafficking in Venezuela. On Saturday (October 18), President Trump announced that the US military had destroyed a large drug trafficking submarine that was heading towards the United States along a well-known drug trafficking route.
The memorandum submitted to Congress by the Trump administration on October 2 shows that the US is currently engaged in “non-international armed conflict” with drug trafficking groups. Government officials have designated drug trafficking groups as “terrorist organizations.”
On Saturday, Trump posted on the social media platform “Truth Social” announcing the latest US military operation against drug trafficking. He wrote that US intelligence confirmed the submarine was primarily carrying fentanyl and other illegal narcotics. There were four known drug trafficking terrorists on board, with two of them being neutralized. (“Watch video, click here”)
“If I had allowed this submarine to reach shore, at least 25,000 Americans would have lost their lives,” the President said.
He further stated that the two surviving terrorists would be deported to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia and face detention and prosecution. There were no casualties among US military personnel in the operation.
Fighting drug trafficking is a priority for the Trump administration. President Trump pledged to utilize US military forces to combat drug trafficking groups and prevent illegal drugs from entering the United States while bolstering military presence in the Caribbean Sea.
This attack marks the sixth interception of suspected drug trafficking vessels by the US since the military operations in the Caribbean Sea region began last month. The Pentagon has not publicly revealed the name of this operation.
Trump publicly mentioned this operation for the first time during a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House on Friday. He told reporters, “We attacked a submarine that was specifically used to transport large quantities of drugs.”
On Saturday, Trump also stated, “Under my supervision, the United States will not tolerate drug trafficking terrorists smuggling illegal drugs through land or sea routes.”
On Wednesday (15th), Trump stated that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out secret operations in Venezuela and mentioned that he was considering deploying ground military operations in the country.
In recent weeks, the US military has conducted multiple raids on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Since early September, the US military has destroyed at least five ships, resulting in 27 fatalities, with four of the vessels originating from Venezuela.