In a dramatic twist on Thursday’s military operation, the U.S. Navy is holding two survivors after American forces struck an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, according to three U.S. officials, who confirmed the news to CNN.
Donald Trump confirmed the attack on Friday, calling it a hit on a “drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs.” He emphasized, “Just so you understand, this was not an innocent group of people. I don’t know too many people that have submarines.”
This strike marks the sixth known U.S. attack on suspected drug-trafficking vessels, but the first time survivors have emerged. Officials have not disclosed what will happen to the men now detained aboard a Navy ship.
Legal experts say it is uncertain under what authority the U.S. military can hold the detainees. Former State Department lawyer Brian Finucane noted that while the Trump administration claims Article II of the Constitution grants broad powers for such actions, Congress has not authorized armed conflict against drug traffickers.
If the men challenge their detention, the case could expose the administration’s secretive legal reasoning behind its “narco-terrorism” operations, an issue that remains unresolved in U.S. law.
