THE UNITED STATES is repatriating two survivors of a military strike in the Caribbean to their home countries, Colombia and Ecuador, for detention and prosecution, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday.
The operation, first reported by Reuters, allows the U.S. military to avoid legal complications surrounding the detention of suspected drug traffickers, whose actions do not fall squarely under the laws of war, according to legal experts.
“The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The U.S. military conducted a helicopter rescue on Thursday after striking a semi-submersible vessel suspected of smuggling illegal narcotics. The attack killed two crew members, while the other two were flown to a U.S. Navy warship in the region.
In his statement, Trump claimed that U.S. intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying fentanyl and other illegal drugs, though he provided no supporting evidence. He shared a 30-second video appearing to show a semi-submersible vessel being struck by at least one projectile.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump described the target as “a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs.”
Governments of Colombia and Ecuador have not yet issued official responses.
The strike is part of a broader U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, which includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine, and around 6,500 troops, as Washington intensifies its standoff with the Venezuelan government.
Earlier this week, Trump also revealed that he had authorized CIA covert operations inside Venezuela, fueling speculation that the U.S. is seeking to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
In response, Maduro has denied involvement in drug trafficking, calling the U.S. strikes a pretext for regime change and a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador, Samuel Moncada, has written to the U.N. Security Council, urging it to declare the U.S. strikes illegal and to issue a statement defending Venezuela’s sovereignty.
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