The United States has transferred two survivors of a Thursday military strike in the Caribbean to their home countries—Colombia and Ecuador—for detention and prosecution, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday. The move, first reported by Reuters, spares the U.S. military from navigating complex legal challenges related to detaining suspected drug traffickers under wartime laws.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, “The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.” Both men have since arrived in their respective nations, according to local authorities. Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed on X that the detained Colombian “will be processed according to the law,” while an Ecuadorian government source reported that the other survivor arrived Saturday morning and will face legal proceedings.
The U.S. military rescued the two men after striking their semi-submersible vessel, allegedly used for narcotics trafficking. The attack killed two other crew members. The survivors were initially flown to a U.S. Navy warship before being repatriated. Trump claimed that intelligence confirmed the vessel carried large quantities of fentanyl and other illegal drugs, though he provided no evidence. A video he shared appeared to show the vessel being struck by a projectile.
Trump described the operation as part of an intensified campaign against drug smuggling in the region, amid a growing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean that includes destroyers, F-35 jets, a nuclear submarine, and 6,500 troops. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s government has condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty. In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada called for an official determination declaring the U.S. actions illegal.