Ecuadorian Survivor Released After US Military Strike on Drug Submarine

Wed Oct 22 2025 04:41:13 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Ecuadorian government has released a survivor from a U.S. military strike targeting a submarine allegedly engaged in drug trafficking in the Caribbean. This incident raises questions about the legality of U.S. military actions in the region.

Ecuador has released an Ecuadorian survivor from a U.S. military strike on a submarine accused of drug smuggling. While the U.S. president claims the vessel was carrying illegal narcotics, Ecuador's Attorney General stated that no crime was reported. The incident adds to ongoing debates regarding the legality of U.S. military operations against drug trafficking in the region.

Ecuador has released the survivor of a US strike on a submarine alleged to have been smuggling drugs in the Caribbean.

US military forces captured the Ecuadorean national along with a Colombian citizen after they attacked the submarine the two were on. US President Donald Trump stated they would be returned to their respective countries 'for detention and prosecution'.

However, the Ecuadorean Attorney General's office declared that the Ecuadorean survivor 'could not be detained' as there was 'no report of a crime that has been brought to this institution's attention'.

The US has conducted numerous strikes on what it identifies as drug-smuggling vessels in the region.

The survivor was identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño, alongside Colombian survivor Jeison Obando Pérez. They are noted to be the first individuals to survive such strikes since the US initiated a massive counter-narcotics deployment in the Caribbean, with two others on board reported to have been killed.

Since the beginning of September, at least 32 individuals have died in seven strikes, prompting experts to question the legality of these actions under international law. The US maintains that such operations target 'narco-terrorists'.

In a statement to reporters, Trump asserted that the submarine was involved in transporting large quantities of narcotics, particularly singling out fentanyl, despite experts clarifying that this drug's primary entry point into the US is via Mexico.

Approximately 10,000 US troops are actively involved in this Caribbean operation.

While Tufiño was found to be in good health, the Colombian survivor was reported to have sustained grave injuries and is currently receiving treatment in Bogotá.

Questions surrounding the validity of US military actions continue as international scrutiny intensifies, with several nations warning against the operations affecting their territorial waters.