Six alleged drug traffickers accused of using "narco subs" and aircraft to transport large quantities of cocaine were slapped with U.S. sanctions earlier this week, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. 

Two Colombians – Manuel Salazar Gutierrez and Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo – and four Guyanese nationals – Randolph Duncan, Himnauth Sawh, Mark Cromwell and Paul Daby Jr. – have been sanctioned for allegedly trafficking tons of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, according to officials. 

"Under President [Donald] Trump, this administration has achieved the most secure border in modern history," Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement. "The Treasury Department continues to bring our unique tools and authorities to the fight against cartels and their affiliates." 

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Officials allege that Daby Jr. and Duncan are responsible for operating the largest drug trafficking organizations throughout Guyana, relying on semi-submersible narco submarines and aircraft to transport cocaine while bribing local government officials.  

Sawh, a Guyanese police officer, is accused of funneling Venezuelan and Mexican drug traffickers transporting cocaine through Guyana, according to the Treasury. Cromwell, a former Guyanese police officer, is wanted by authorities for his involvement in the abduction of a fellow police officer last year. 

Colombian nationals Salazar and Sanchez are aiding in aircraft smuggling by overseeing airstrips as cocaine is transported from Colombia to Guyana, the department said. 

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"All property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC," the Treasury said. 

The sanctions come as authorities are attempting to crack down on homemade narco subs traveling through Guyana’s jungles while carrying record amounts of cocaine, according to U.S. officials. The Treasury points to the country’s proximity to the Caribbean and alleged corruption along its borders, ultimately allowing narco subs and aircraft to move throughout the country. 

"Guyana is a close partner of the United States in combating narcotics trafficking," the Treasury said in a statement. "Nevertheless, according to a 2025 State Department International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, corruption in Guyana poses a significant obstacle to its efforts to combat drug trafficking." 

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In March 2025, a cargo vessel from Guyana was discovered by authorities off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago carrying approximately 400 pounds of cocaine, the Treasury said. The packages were stamped with the Toyota logo, known to be used by the Sinaloa Cartel. 

Last year, U.S. and Guyanese law enforcement seized approximately 5,200 pounds of cocaine from a self-propelled narco sub operating off the coast of Guyana. 

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

"Treasury will continue to expose the criminal networks that allow for drugs to be trafficked into the United States," Faulkender said. "[We will] work closely with our law enforcement colleagues and the Government of Guyana to disrupt the cartels wherever they operate."

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from detaining a Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident whom federal agents have targeted for deportation after she took part in an anti-Israel demonstration earlier this year.

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald’s preliminary injunction on Thursday blocks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from taking 21-year-old Yunseo Chung into custody. Chung is originally from South Korea and has lived in the U.S. since she was seven years old.

ICE had attempted to arrest her in March but were unsuccessful and the court has now barred ICE from detaining her without prior approval.

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If the government tries to detain Chung for any reason other than her potential deportation, it must give 72 hours' notice to Chung’s lawyers and the court and allow the court time to determine if the detention attempt is a pretext for First Amendment retaliation.

The ruling also states that she remains free while her legal case proceeds.

Ramzi Kassem, co-director of CLEAR, a legal nonprofit at City University of New York that is representing Chung, praised the ruling.  

"This is a win not just for Yunseo and for the legions of people who stand up for Palestinians and oppose the daily atrocities in Gaza that our government underwrites, but also for freedom of speech and the rule of law in our country," Kassem said in a statement, per the Washington Post.

It comes after the same judge in March ordered immigration officials to cease their efforts to arrest Chung.

The Trump administration has alleged that her participation in a protest poses a potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequence for the United States. 

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Chung’s attorneys say that the government’s pursuit of the Columbia student is an "unjustifiable assault on [the] First Amendment." Chung sued the government earlier this year. 

The lawsuit states that Chung was a participant in the anti-Israel protests, not a leader, and was "one of a large group of college students" expressing "shared concerns" over the war in Gaza. Chung, according to the lawsuit, "visited" the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, a number of tents organized in the center of campus, but does not state whether she stayed there. The lawsuit also makes it clear that she did not make public statements or engage in high-profile activities while at the protests.

Chung’s lawsuit states that she was never arrested or disciplined in relation to events at the encampment. However, she was later arrested during a 2025 protest at Barnard College. The lawsuit claims that it is common in New York City for police to arrest many protesters and that charges are usually dropped or dismissed.

The lawsuit states that on March 8, an ICE official signed an administrative arrest warrant for Chung and federal law enforcement went to Chung’s parents’ house the next day seeking to arrest her.

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An ICE official allegedly told Chung’s attorneys on March 10 that her green card had been "revoked," according to the lawsuit. The government has the authority to rescind permanent resident status if it believes that a person has violated U.S. immigration law.

Chung’s attorneys say in the lawsuit that law enforcement searched Chung’s dorm room on March 13 in accordance with a warrant.

She was valedictorian of her high school senior class and has a near-perfect GPA heading into her senior year, according to court documents. Chung is double-majoring in English and women’s and gender studies at Columbia, the Washington Post reported. 

The Trump administration has also sought to deport former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, whom it accuses of playing a major role in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.