(MENAFN) President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that American military forces had eliminated a "drug-carrying" submarine heading toward the United States along a "well known narcotrafficking route."

In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump stated, "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." He emphasized the significance of the operation and its strategic location.

According to Trump, US intelligence verified that the vessel was transporting a significant quantity of "mostly fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics."

He further revealed that the submarine was crewed by "four known narcoterrorists," two of whom were killed during the operation. Trump assured that no American personnel were harmed in the mission.

He went on to assert, "At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore." Trump added that the two surviving suspects are being sent back to their countries of origin — Ecuador and Colombia — where they will face legal proceedings.

Trump strongly condemned the actions of the smugglers, declaring that the United States "will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea."

This incident is the latest in a series of at least six military actions in the Caribbean Sea carried out by US forces over the past month.

These operations have targeted vessels suspected of transporting illicit substances, reportedly occurring in international waters near Venezuela.

The situation adds further strain to the already tense relationship between the Trump administration and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The US recently stationed a naval group in the southern Caribbean, which CNN reports was intended to disrupt organized criminal networks and narcotics trafficking operations.

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