Politics

US will send survivors of strike on suspected drug vessel to Ecuador and Colombia, source says

Drug Cartels Blurred Lines FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro points at a map of the Americas during a new conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas), File (Jesus Vargas/AP)

WASHINGTON — The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, a U.S. official said Saturday.

The military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September.

The repatriation avoids questions for the Trump administration about what the legal status of the two would have been in the U.S. justice system.

The official who had knowledge of the matter was not authorized to discuss the plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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