3 separate US strikes on alleged drug boats have initially left survivors. Each time they’ve been treated differently

This screengrab of a video posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shows a submarine shortly before it is hit by a missile strike, on October 16, 2025. This strike left two survivors, who were repatriated to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador after being detained by the US Navy. Pete Hegseth/X

As the US military has undertaken a campaign of attacks against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, at least five people have survived initial strikes ending up in the water after explosions killed fellow crew members and disabled their ships.

But what happened next to the survivors varied greatly – two were detained by the US Navy only to be returned to their home countries, one was left to float in the ocean and is presumed dead, and two more have been