Ecuador says it has no evidence that survivor of a US strike in the
Caribbean committed any crime
[October 21, 2025]
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The survivor of a U.S. strike on a
submersible vessel accused by the Trump administration of transporting
drugs in the Caribbean was released by authorities in Ecuador after
prosecutors said they had no evidence he committed a crime in the South
American nation, a government official said Monday.
The official, who asked not to be identified because they were not
authorized to speak on the matter, told The Associated Press that the
Ecuadorian man, identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño, was in good health
after medical evaluations.
A document from the Ecuadorian government obtained by AP said “there is
no evidence or indication that could lead prosecutors or judicial
authorities to be certain” of any violation of current laws by Tufiño.
AP requested comment from the Attorney General’s Office, but did not
immediately receive a response.
The man was repatriated by the United States over the weekend following
a U.S. military attack on a submersible vessel suspected of transporting
drugs in the Caribbean. A Colombian citizen also survived the attack and
remains hospitalized after being repatriated to that country.
U.S. military personnel rescued both men after destroying the
submersible on Thursday. Trump said on social media that U.S.
intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying “mostly fentanyl and
other illegal drugs.”
There is little evidence to indicate that fentanyl is produced in the
Andes, as the vast majority of it flows into the U.S. through Mexico.
Trump said that two people on board were killed, and the two survivors
were being repatriated to their home countries “for detention and
prosecution.”
The attack on the submersible was at least the sixth of its kind since
September. A seventh that occurred Friday, was reported over the
weekend, bringing the total deaths from the attacks to at least 32. The
strikes have set off tensions in the region, particularly between Trump,
Venezuela and Colombia, once one of the American government's tightest
allies in the Western Hemisphere.
[to top of second column]
|
The Colombian government said its survivor “will be prosecuted
according to the law” for alleged drug trafficking. It noted that
the man was seriously wounded.
Colombia’s government said Monday that it had recalled its
ambassador to the United States following an increasingly angry
back-and-forth between its president, Gustavo Petro, and Trump over
the strikes.
Tensions increased Sunday when Trump called Petro “an illegal drug
leader” and “a lunatic” after Petro accused the U.S. government of
killing a Colombian citizen in a Sept. 16 strike on a boat the U.S.
said was allegedly carrying drugs.
Meanwhile, Ecuador’s conservative president, Daniel Noboa, said
Monday in a message on X addressed to his U.S. counterpart:
“President Trump, Ecuador remains firm in the global fight against
drug trafficking.” He added that such challenges “require unity
among nations committed to peace and prosperity.”
Trump has justified the actions, saying the United States is engaged
in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels.
He has relied on the same legal reasoning used by the George W. Bush
administration when it declared war on terrorism after the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks. It includes the authority to capture and detain
combatants and use lethal force to eliminate their leaders.
___
Associated Press journalist Astrid Suárez in Bogota, Colombia
contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
