Andres Fernando Tufino Chila and Jonathan Abando were released without being formally charged by the U.S. or their home countries.
Posted by Behind the Bastards, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
Behind the BastardsOct 3, 2026
Sources support both parts of the claim: Ecuador released Andrés Fernando Tufiño Chila after prosecutors found no evidence of a crime, and Colombian prosecutors found no evidence to pursue Obando, who was released without formal charges. The US repatriated both men rather than charging them.
What was said
… Struck the vessel he was on. Jonathan Abando, the second survivor, who's from Colombia, had no criminal history and no cartel links, according to El Pais. Even though Trump promised to prosecute them, they were eventually let go without being formally charged by either the Us. Or their home countries. Obviously, this begs the question: If these people are really quote unquote narco terrorists, why have they been able to go free? …
Behind the Bastards · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports Ecuadorian prosecutors released Tufiño because there was no evidence he committed a crime in Ecuador, citing a government document.[1][2]
Supports. El País and Airwars report that Colombia's Attorney General's office did not plan a formal investigation of the Colombian survivor, citing lack of evidence of a crime in Colombia.[3][4]
Supports. The US repatriated both survivors rather than prosecuting them, and the Daily Beast reports neither was charged in the US; the NY Daily News notes Trump's post said they would be returned 'for detention and prosecution'.[2][5][6]
Context. The post names the Colombian survivor 'Jonathan Abando', while the sources name him 'Jeison Obando Pérez'. The sources describe the same event and nationality, so the referent is probably the same person, but the name discrepancy is unresolved.[4][5]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 5 not rated
- 1Ecuador releases survivor of US strike on submersible vesselapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Ecuador frees survivor of US strike on sub, no evidence of crimenydailynews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3Colombia's ties to vessels struck by Trump: A missing fisherman, a ...english.elpais.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4USMAR251016a – October 16, 2025airwars.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5The Smuggler Who Survived Trump’s Drug Boat Strikesthedailybeast.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 6The US Sank the Alleged Narco-Terrorists’ Boat — and Let Them Gorsn.org · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post