On October 16, 2025, the U.S. military launched its sixth strike in a series of controversial operations targeting suspected Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean. This latest attack, confirmed by President Donald Trump during a White House press conference the following day, stands out for a chilling new reason: for the first time, there are survivors—two individuals now being held aboard a U.S. Navy ship after a dramatic helicopter rescue. The episode has reignited fierce debate over the legality and consequences of the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive anti-narcotics campaign in the region.
According to Reuters, which first reported on the strike, the U.S. military used a helicopter to extract the two survivors from the semi-submersible vessel—often dubbed a “narco-submarine”—after the attack left two others dead. These semi-submersibles, as detailed by The Washington Post, are a favored tool among drug traffickers for their ability to slip undetected across vast stretches of ocean, carrying massive hauls of cocaine and other narcotics bound for North America and Europe. The U.S. Southern Command has long acknowledged the challenge these low-profile vessels pose, with the Marine Corps even announcing last year that it was developing its own autonomous version inspired by the narco subs.
President Trump, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, did not mince words when confirming the strike. “We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs,” Trump told reporters. “This was not an innocent group of people. I don’t know too many people who have submarines, and that was an attack on a drug-carrying, loaded submarine.” Rubio, for his part, described the targets as “narco-terrorists” and indicated that more details would be forthcoming, though both officials declined to address specifics about the survivors.
This operation marks a significant escalation in a campaign that began in early September, when the Trump administration deployed additional Navy ships—including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and three destroyers—raising the U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean to eight ships. The stated mission: to disrupt drug trafficking routes allegedly controlled by cartels operating out of Venezuela. Since then, at least six strikes have been publicly disclosed, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people, most of them Venezuelan nationals. According to BBC, one strike even targeted a Colombian boat, killing Colombian residents on board, a fact confirmed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The White House has framed these actions as military self-defense operations under U.S. Title 10, asserting that the individuals involved in drug trafficking are “unlawful combatants” and that drug cartels constitute an “armed attack against the United States.” A memo to Congress, cited by The New York Times, underlines this rationale. Yet, the administration has not provided further legal justification, prompting bipartisan concern in Congress. Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski are among those questioning whether the strikes adhere to the laws of war, while UN-appointed human rights experts have gone so far as to label the operations “extrajudicial executions.”
The international backlash has been swift and vocal. Trinidad and Tobago, whose coastline lies just miles from Venezuela, announced it was investigating whether two of its citizens—reportedly fishermen—were killed in a U.S. strike earlier in the week. Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada called for the Security Council to intervene, declaring, “There is a killer prowling the Caribbean. People from different countries…are suffering the effects of these massacres.” President Nicolás Maduro, whose grip on power remains hotly contested internationally, accused Trump of trying to make Venezuela “an American colony” and appealed for peace. Nonetheless, the presence of approximately 10,000 U.S. forces in the Caribbean region, including troops stationed in Puerto Rico and B-52 bombers circling overhead, has stoked fears in Caracas of a broader conflict.
The Trump administration has not hesitated to escalate pressure on Maduro’s government. In August, it doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, alleging deep ties between the Venezuelan leader and international drug trafficking networks—allegations Maduro firmly denies. This week, Trump publicly acknowledged authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and hinted at the possibility of direct strikes on Venezuelan soil. When asked why Maduro had reportedly offered overtures to ease tensions, Trump responded bluntly, “He has offered everything, you’re right. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f— around with the United States.”
Despite the administration’s hardline stance, the lack of transparency surrounding these strikes has drawn criticism from both domestic and international observers. No evidence has been provided to support the U.S. claims regarding the identities or activities of those targeted. Videos released by the administration have shown vessels being destroyed, but details about the individuals aboard or the cargo have not been made public. As CBC News notes, this secrecy has fueled suspicions about the true nature and legality of the operations, especially given the mounting civilian toll.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged the most recent strike on social media, a departure from previous practice where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or other officials would share updates, sometimes accompanied by photos or videos. The leadership of these counter-narcotics missions is itself in flux. Less than a week ago, the Pentagon announced that II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in North Carolina, would take over command from the Miami-based Southern Command—a surprise move given the latter’s traditional role in regional operations. Amid these changes, Admiral Alvin Holsey, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, announced his retirement effective at the end of the year, two years ahead of schedule. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Holsey’s resignation “troubling,” warning that it deepened concerns about the administration’s approach to military interventions in Latin America.
For many in the Caribbean, the stakes are deeply personal. Relatives of Trinidadian fishermen say they believe their loved ones were killed in recent strikes, while local communities dependent on fishing worry about being caught in the crossfire. The proliferation of narco-subs—homemade vessels capable of carrying up to three tonnes of cocaine—has complicated efforts to distinguish between traffickers and civilians. As BBC and The Washington Post report, these vessels are often constructed from fiberglass and plywood, making them difficult to detect and easy to scuttle after a successful run.
As the U.S. continues its campaign, the region watches anxiously. The combination of military escalation, covert operations, and diplomatic saber-rattling has created a volatile mix, with questions swirling about the ultimate objectives—and unintended consequences—of America’s war on drugs in the Caribbean. For now, the fate of the two survivors held by the U.S. Navy remains uncertain, emblematic of a conflict where the lines between law enforcement, military action, and international law are increasingly blurred.