U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on October 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has stated that the two survivors of a military strike on a drug trafficking boat from Venezuela will be repatriated.
On Thursday, the U.S. struck a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that was carrying illegal drugs to America. This was the sixth such strike of the Trump administration’s counter-narcotics operation, but the first instance where any suspected drug traffickers survived. Over a dozen people have been killed in the operation thus far.
Two passengers were rescued from the explosion and held on a U.S. Navy warship for questioning and processing, according to anonymous U.S. officials.
On Saturday, Trump posted an update on his Truth Social platform, confirming the home countries of the survivors and the contents they were smuggling.
“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” Trump wrote. “U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel. Two of the terrorists were killed. At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore.”
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The president continued, “The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.”
“Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea,” Trump declared.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reportedly offered his country’s natural resources if Trump agrees to end the aggressive military push against seafaring drug traffickers.
On Friday, Trump told reporters that the socialist president has “offered everything.”
“You know why?” Trump said. “Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.”
It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route. U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were… pic.twitter.com/Do3yoqbYdr
