Ecuador reportedly released a man Monday who survived one of the U.S. strikes on a suspected drug-trafficking submarine after authorities said they found no evidence he committed a crime, according to multiple reports.

President Donald Trump posted footage Saturday on Truth Social showing the strike on a suspected drug-carrying submarine, confirming the vessel was loaded with illegal narcotics. The initial strike killed two aboard, while Trump said the two surviving “terrorists” were being sent back to Ecuador and Colombia “for detention and prosecution.”

The Ecuadorian man, identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño, was found to be in good health after a medical evaluation, according to the Associated Press. (RELATED: Trump Blasts Colombia’s ‘Illegal Drug Leader’ Gustavo Petro, Yanks Foreign Aid After Criticism Of Boat Strikes)

Following his return home, Ecuador’s attorney general’s office told CBS News there was “no report of a crime that has been brought to the attention of this institution” against him and therefore he “could not be detained.” The outlet also reported there were no pending cases against Tufiño.

In his original post Saturday, Trump applauded the strike, writing that there were “four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel.” The president also shared a video showing the moment the submarine was struck while out at sea.

“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. 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 terrorists were killed,” Trump wrote.

Members of the Coast Guard Command of the Ecuadorian Navy sail on a patrol past the Nootka Island container ship during an anti-drug trafficking operation near the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on March 28, 2024. (Photo by GERARDO MENOSCAL/AFP via Getty Images)

“At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore. The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike,” Trump added in his Saturday post. “Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea.”

The second survivor, who is a Colombian citizen, reportedly remains in the hospital, with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti telling CBS News that he had arrived with “brain trauma, sedated, drugged, breathing with a ventilator.” Colombian authorities confirmed to the outlet that he would be facing prosecution.

Since Trump’s return to office in January, he has led a major crackdown on drug cartels, designating certain international groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

In early August, the U.S. Coast Guard launched Operation Pacific Viper and had since interdicted a daily average of over 1,600 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a press release. Due to the operation launch, the U.S. Coast Guard has accelerated its “counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where significant transport of illicit narcotics continues from South America.”

The Trump administration has continuously posted videos of the attacks on the suspected narco boats. According to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, 71% of voters surveyed said they support sinking South American ships carrying drugs into the United States.

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