Ecuador says there is no evidence that he survived the US strike in the Caribbean and committed a crime
Quito (AP) – The Trump administration has survived an imminent U.S. crackdown on drug shipments to Ecuador after prosecutors said they were involved in crimes in the South American country, a government official said.
This official, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak on this issue, told the publisher that the Ecuadorian man, who was found in Andrés Fernando Tufiño, was in good health after a medical examination.
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 convinced” of any violation of current laws by Tufiño.
The AP reached out to the attorney general’s office for comment, but there was no immediate response.
The man was extradited to the United States over the weekend following the attack by a US warship on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean. The citizens of Colombia also survived this attack and remain abandoned after the restoration of that country.
US military personnel rescued both men after destroying the base Thursday. Trump said on social media that US intelligence confirmed that the ship was carrying “mostly anti-inflammatory drugs and other illegal drugs.”
There is little evidence to show that Fentanyl is produced in the Andes, as most of it flows into Mexico.
Trump said two people on the boat were killed, and the two survivors were being returned to their countries “to be detained and prosecuted.”
The invisible attack was the sixth of its kind since September. The seventh that occurred on Friday, was reported over the weekend, bringing the total death toll from the attack to at least 32. The strikes have raised tensions in the region, particularly between Trump, Venezuela and Colombia, and one of America’s staunchest allies in the western hemisphere.
The Colombian government said the survivor would be “prosecuted by law” for drug trafficking. It was noted that the man was seriously injured.
Colombia’s government said on Monday it was recalling its ambassador to the United States following back-and-forth anger between its President, Gustavo Petro, and Trump over the strikes.
Tensions escalated on Sunday when Trump called Petro “the leader of illegal drugs” and “after Peter accused the US Government of killing a boatman.
At that time, the conservative President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, said Monday in X that he is mentioned in the US Courtpart: “President Truador, Ecuador remains firm in the fight against drug trafficking.” He added that such challenges “require unity among nations committed to peace and prosperity.”
Trump prepared for those actions, saying that the United States is participating in an “armed conflict” against drugs.
He relied on the same legal reasoning used by the George W. Bush Administration in declaring the war on terror after the September 11, 2001, attacks. It includes the authority to capture and arrest fighters and use lethal force to eliminate their leaders.
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A media reporter associated with Astrid Suárez in Bogota, Colombia contributed to this report.
