Ecuador Says There's 'No Evidence' Man Wounded in U.S. Strike In The Caribbean Committed A Crime

An Ecuadorean citizen who survived a U.S. strike on a suspected drug-trafficking submersible was released from custody with no charges filed against him.

An Ecuadorean official told the Associated Press that the man, Andrés Fernando Tufiño, was in good health. Tufiño survived the strike against the submarine, which was confirmed last Friday, and was released because they had "no evidence" that he had committed a crime.

"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," the Department of War said in a statement posted on X. "U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel."

Two of the four people on the vessel died. A fourth man, a Colombian citizen, remains hospitalized in serious condition. CBS News reported that Colombia does plan to file charges against him.

CBS News reported that the U.S. Navy picked up the two survivors of the attack on the boat, which the Trump administration claimed was smuggling fentanyl, and were then repatriated to their home countries.

The outlet noted that drug smugglers do sometimes use submarines hoping to avoid detection from authorities. The vessels are not fully submersible and cruise close to the surface of the water.

The U.S. military has been conducting strikes on suspected drug smugglers for several months. The submarine strike was the sixth one. It is estimated that the strikes have killed 32 people.