1337
Views

U.S. Releases Videos of Attacks on Two Boats as it Sends Survivors Home

semi-submersible boat at sea
Semi-submersible seen in video released by the United States

Published Oct 18, 2025 5:50 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The White House released a video on Saturday of the attack on a semi-submersible in the Caribbean. It was the sixth attack reported by U.S. officials, but unlike the others, there were survivors. On Sunday, they announced yet another attack releasing another video as they continue to vow to stop the smuggling of drugs into the United States.

Donald Trump had spoken out about the first attack on Thursday, October 16, telling reporters that they had destroyed a submarine. It was followed up two days later on Saturday with the video. A typical semi-submersible developed by the drug cartels is seen battling the waves before it is hit by the United States. 

In the posting, Trump says they “destroyed a very large drug-carrying submarine that was navigating towards the United States on a well-known nacotrafficing transit route.” He says U.S. intelligence confirmed it was “loaded up mostly with Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics.” He says four people were aboard, with two killed, and confirmed the previous reports that two other “terrorists” survived.

 

 

The New York Times is reporting that a Special Operations aircraft fired on the vessel in the southern Caribbean. It says minutes later, analysts watching an unreleased video observed what appeared to be at least two survivors in the water near the smoldering wreckage. They said there were also “several floating bales” in the water.

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard dispatched helicopters and rescued two individuals. They were brought to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima for medical attention.

“The two surviving ‘terrorists’ are being returned to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution,” Trump wrote in the social media posting.

The New York Times reports the two individuals have been transferred from the custody of the Pentagon to the U.S. State Department for their repatriation. They note that the U.S. has handed individuals in the past over to friendly countries when they were intercepted outside the country. The Coast Guard, in the past in the Caribbean, however, after stopping drug trafficking boats, has also arrested the individuals and brought them to the U.S. for prosecution. Saturday night, Colombia's interior minister, Armando Benedetti, confirmed on social media that a citizen had been returned by the United States. He said the man who is 34 years old was in a hospital with brain trauma and breathing on a ventilator.

Unlike the previous strikes, the administration did not link the semi-submersible to Venezuela. It has been attacking boats over the past few weeks, using the president’s declaration of the drug cartels as terrorists and combatants. The New York Times speculates that the administration might have decided not to try the individuals to test the legality of the strikes. The administration has advised Congress of its actions after the previous attacks, using language including “armed attacks” and “unlawful combatants.” 

The White House reported to Congress in September that the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with the drug cartels. Trump wrote today that the United States will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea.

 

 

On Sunday, the United States reported its seventh strike on a boat accused of smuggling drugs. Secretary Pete Hegseth posted the video reporting three men were killed. He associated the boat with a Colombian insurgency group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), saying intelligence identified the boat as smuggling on a known narco-trafficking route and loaded with substantial amounts of drugs. He said three individuals were killed in the strike. 

This brings to seven the total number of attacks acknowledged by the Trump administration, They have reported that 32 people have been killed since the strikes began in early September.

Sunday's announcement seemed timed to a separate posting by Donald Trump reporting that he had decided to cut off all foreign aid to Colombia. He said the country was not doing enough to stop the production of illegal drugs. He wrote online that Colombia encourages the production of drugs and if does not stop the U.S. would stop it, "and it won't be done nicely."

The statements come as analysts continue to track a buildup of U.S. military assets in the Caribbean. Trump has sent warships into the Caribbean, along with support vessels, and placed additional assets at bases in Puerto Rico.