Family of victim in Trump drug boat killings files first formal complaint

[BeyondGeography]

Source: The Guardian

A family in Colombia filed a petition on Tuesday with the Washington DC-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that the Colombian citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in a US airstrike on 15 September. The petition marks the first formal complaint over the airstrikes by the Trump administration against suspected drug boats, attacks that the White House says are justified under a novel interpretation of law.

…The complaint was filed by Pittsburgh-based human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik. “On September 15, 2025, the United States military bombed the boat of Alejandro Andres Carranza Medina,” the filing says, “which Mr Carranza was sailing in the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia. Mr Carranza was killed in the process of this bombing.”

Kovalik identified Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, as the perpetrator, based on Hegseth’s own statements. “From numerous news reports, we know that Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats. Secretary Hegseth has admitted that he gave such orders despite the fact that he did not know the identity of those being targeted for these bombings and extra-judicial killings,” the filing goes on.

…Carranza, 42, appears to have been killed in the second strike of the Trump administration’s bombing campaign, on 15 September. The administration has publicly disclosed 21 strikes on alleged drug boats. Carranza’s family says he was a fisher who would often set out in search of marlin and tuna.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/02/trump-caribbean-drug-boat-attack-complaint?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[MustLoveBeagles]

1. Other victims families should join them

[popsdenver]

11. And also file with the U.N.

and the Hague for potential International War Crimes.............

As I understand it, the Hague has already charged Putin with war crimes, and that is why Putin can't travel to many European countries, as he will be arrested and sent to the Hague.......That is speculated as the Reason Putin came to Alaska to meet with Trump....
Assad, Putin's bestest buddy, formerly dictator of Syria, is hiding out, because the Hague has charged him with International War Crimes, for using chemical bombs/weapons, provided by Putin, on Syrian civilians, that were against Assad and his government....

Wouldn't it be great if Trump and most of his CABAL were charged by the Hague, and not able to travel anywhere except in the U.S. and other Tyrant controlled countries??????

[NJCher]

2. this man was a fisherman

The U.S. has put the entire occupation of fishing at risk. How can they do this? People are entitled to make a living.

It's so egregious.

[pfitz59]

3. More than complain, sue.

Without evidence of smuggling all they have is murder!

[popsdenver]

13. That is why

they use massively destructive weapons on such small boats, as it obliterates all evidence.

[Safe as Milk]

4. It's time for Whiskey Pete to

find a nice, warm hovel in Siberia with an endless supply of booze. No one will find him there. Unless they want to.

[slightlv]

5. Since trump has put our entire military

at risk with regards to the military (and governments) of other nations, there should be no reason to not join the ICC, once we get this administration out of power. It was said we didn't join in order to "protect" our military members. trump has made a mockery of this. He is putting military members up against a wall with regards to illegal orders and unethical behavior. Any military anywhere could take potshots at our military serving anywhere in the world, and cite these extrajudicial killings and feeling "threatened" by the mere presence of our military people. This has GOT to stop. trump doesn't care a damn about our active duty, reserve, national guard, or veterans. He will use all of us to further his desires. Up to and including the point where he actually gets military members killed (if he hasn't already).

[Attilatheblond]

12. This is EXACTLY why Trump/Miller/Hegseth attacks on these boats is dangerously irresponsible!

They want to grab headlines, divert attention from Trump's Epstein problem, and look tough for the dwindling support of MAGAs.

From slightlv's reply above:

"Any military anywhere could take potshots at our military serving anywhere in the world, and cite these extrajudicial killings and feeling "threatened" by the mere presence of our military people."

These three idiots are putting members of our military, and possibly even their families, at risk of retaliation. They are inviting real terrorism by killing first and not asking any real questions.

Killing random people in small boats, unable to travel the distances required to be running drugs into the US, without proof or even knowing who they are murdering is NOT how to fight illegal drug trafficking! Done right, the USCG can intercept suspected boats, take people into custody, AND DO A PROPER INVESTIGATION. That is how you catch the low level traffickers. Then, through proper interrogation/investigations, more is learned about the actual cartel structure, actions, and people higher up in the trafficking.

I swear, it is like Trump/Hegseth are using (and needlessly putting at risk) our military for propaganda and marketing, while actually protecting the real movers and shakers in drug trafficking. It's pretty evident which side Trump is on now that he openly pardoned a BIG drug trafficker. He is NOT on the side of actually stopping the flow of drugs into our nation, and he most assuredly is not protecting our military.

[efhmc]

25. Trump does not think of protecting any thing but the size of his wallet.

[Warpy]

6. And THIS is why you send a ship out to search for debris

I saw the video of that strike. I didn't see anything that could be used to fish for marlin or tuna.

The guy might have been a fisherman, probably was, but it looks like he was supplementing his income.

However, there is no proof because nobody thought they needed to look for it. His family will most likely win a "make it go away" settle,ent. For their sake, I hope it's a good one.

[duhneece]

7. I will consider them to be fishermen because I have bought into that whole...

…innocent until proven guilty.
No evidence, no search, no charges, no trial, no due process?
Innocent until proven otherwise.

[Kaleva]

10. Do you consider Trump to innocent?

[duhneece]

17. Absolutely not. We HAVE seen too much circumstantial evidence to think otherwise

…..plus he WAS found guilty by a jury 34 times.
And I trust the women who have accused him because there are so many

[Kaleva]

19. So you don't believe in due process and presumption of innocence

until found guilty for everyone.

[duhneece]

22. Trump got due process and was found guilty nt

[Warpy]

15. Things are different in international waters

and nobody met one of those Somali speedboats to as if they were refugees or pirates, either. They just sank the boats.

None of the boats I've seen had any sort of fising gear nor anything that would have been necessary to pul. sort fish into the boat and the boats were full of men with no room for something large like marlin or tuna. Sorry but been there, dome that, and even when it's not a shiny party boat with inboard motors and rotating chairs, you need at least some equipment, otherwise youre just lookng at the fish swim by.

That doesn't mean I don't want some proof of what these guys are up to. I just think it's no good.

"Innocent until proven guilty" and "due process" are fine concepts. I hope some day we get them reinstuted in the USA.

[efhmc]

28. That question popped into my mind. How did they know this boat contained drugs?

What proof did "they" have that could stop this boat and have it searched legally once it was in US waters? If so, why not use that power in a right and legal manner? We all know why, no headline banners with the name of the most corrupt human outside of direct dictatorship countries in the universe. (My apologies to all other planets as I have no accurate info on your form of government.)

[summer_in_TX]

34. The design of the boat and the number of horsepowers are significant.

Fast boats with 365 hp motors are used by Colombian drug smugglers.
Slow boats with 15 hp motors are used by fishermen.

A friend used to live and work down there. He was a sailor for 12 years, plus a master builder by trade. He took building jobs at various spots from Panama south over the years.

He filled me in from his experience. One thing of note is that drug smuggling is rare in Venezuela, because they have oil and gas wealth. But it is rampant in Columbia. Columbian drug smugglers have two routes. Some smugglers direct it northward, taking shipments to ports in the Yucatán. Those drugs end up in the U.S.

But the boats that U.S. forces are targeting are going to the "ABC Islands" (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao). They are off the coast of Venezuela, but they are owned by the Dutch. Drugs going there are destined for Europe, not the U.S.

So this whole targeting drug smugglers as being "at war" with the U.S. and causing deaths here? Another lie. If they were indeed doing that, the ones they would target would be the ones heading for the Yucatán, not the ABC Islands.

Venezuela is the nearest country to the ABC Islands so blowing up the boats is certainly intended to intimidate them. The real goal is to seize their oil and gas, I feel sure, and get rid of Maduro. I'm sure Trump is steamed that he didn't succeed in getting rid of him during his first term.

Haven't Trump officials given the impression that these drug boats were Venezuelan and that Venezuelan gangs were behind them? Look at the evidence. The human rights complaint announced yesterday was by the Colombian family of one of those killed. The two survivors who were let go? Columbian.

Lying liars are going to lie, of course.

And no, sinking the boats and killing everyone on board is not proportional to the crime of smuggling drugs. Plus no evidence has been presented, even though quite possibly these are drug boats. Trump doesn't want to provide evidence. He LIKES flouting laws.

[ToxMarz]

18. It would be easier to send a ship out to intercept them

Rather than blow them up first and then send a ship out to try to see if you can find any evidence to support blowing them up. Unless evidence to support what your doing isn't really what you want or expect to find. It's all about the optics to them, and what can they get away with on their reality show production.

[Warpy]

21. You're talking about speedboats that pop out from between tripical islands

along hundreds of miles of coastline. Those things are tiny and incredibly fast. You're asking the impossible.

Debris would stay put long enough for an intercept and retrieval.

[ToxMarz]

23. You talk like you're playing a fantasy video game

With a straw man enemy and real weapons ala Trump et al and you're loving the murder aspect of it.

[Warpy]

27. Study some geography

I mean really study it. Consider scale, topography, types of vegetation. Consider how many of our ships are in the region and how fast they are. Consider how much time it would take to get even a helicopter into an area where one of these boats was spotted.

And on some levels, yes, it is a macabre video game, the boats spotted by a drone, the optics good enough to see the lack of fishing gear and the presence of plastic wrapped packages, and the strike ordered. It's all done remotely, everybody keeps their hands clean.

Hell, we can't counter the reverse of this operation on our own shores, although the pickup boats are more likely to be yachts or fishing boats, real ones. They get busted once in a blue moon but they have to be pretty obvious .

Personally, I dislike seeing high priced Hellfire missiles used in this manner but since they are, I would hope a chopper is dispatched soon after the strike to pick up the wreckage and examine it. Likely few traces of water soluble drugs would be found, but our tests are extremely sensitive and traces driven into wood and plastic by the force of the blast could be picked up.

Venezuela seems disinclined to look for survivors after one of these strikes. I don't know if they lack resources, if Maduro is afraid or the idea just hasn't occurred to him, or if the government is just thinking good riddance. Their lack of concern should tell us a lot.

[thucythucy]

29. Do you think these boats were capable of reaching the US?

Seriously, I wonder, given the size and all, and the distances involved.

[Warpy]

30. Do you think that was ever the idea?

[thucythucy]

31. I have no idea.

But if you're unwilling to answer the question, well, we can just move on,

[Warpy]

32. Drugs are in waterproof packaging at point of origin

taken out to GPS coordinates by small boats and dropped into the water. Most have liow power pingers to help them be located.

Large fishing boat or small merchant vessel comes along and picks up the packages once they're through the Canal and away from possible spot checks for illicit cargo. They then head for N. America or Europe, or even western Africa. The reverse procedure happens at the destination, they're dropped offshore at GPS coordinates, picked up by small craft, and taken to a local cartel to be broken down, diluted, and packaged for local distribution.

Yes, I've seen the packages washed up after a big storm. I left the area quickly, I didn't want that kind of trouble.

Dropoff and pickup are usually well timed operations, the small boats can usually see the big fishing boat or small merchant vessels when the drop the dope in the drink or pick it up once it's been dropped off.

(My parents in Florida used to joke about using my dad's fishing boat to go into the drug business if the stock market went bust again. Fortunately it held up so I never had to take out a second mortgage on my house for bail money)

[thucythucy]

33. I would think then that a better strategy

would be to go after the larger vessels. For instance, boarding and capturing the smaller vessel to get hold of the pinger frequency, lure the larger boat in, and then attack that ship. Or likewise board and capture that vessel with the idea of getting intelligence from the prisoners. More risky than a drone attack, for sure, but if the idea is to put a major dent into this traffic what's being done now seems like a losing game of whack-a-mole than an effective way to deal with the problem.

Then again I think an even better idea would be to decriminalize drug use and then treat it as a medical, not a policing problem. Provide addicts with affordable and timely treatment options, provide maintenance drugs during treatment, and thus eliminate much of the market. No great demand, no profit for the smugglers. It's been done before. We don't, for instance, often send out the Coast Guard to intercept shipments of liquor coming across the Great Lakes, not since the 1920s anyway.

Blowing up these small boats, and killing what are most likely very low level members of the operation doesn't seem all that effective a strategy to me, but I could be wrong. With all the money at stake, it seems to me there will always be people desperate enough to sign on, especially in areas like Columbia and Venezuela.

Then too, giving a presidential pardon to the person who has been identified as responsible for the largest shipment of cocaine ever brought into the country hardly seems to make sense.

This all sounds so ass-backwards, but then again so very typical of how the GOP handles the many issues we face.

Best wishes to you and yours--

[Marcuse]

8. Then there were two. Drone video from the Situation Room.

[ultralite001]

9. Yes...

More of this…

These individuals had rights…

No confrontation… No charges… No due process…Struck down w/o warning while at sea… No opportunity to face their accusers…

Why is the US acting like freaking pirates in a bad movie???

Wrong on too many levels to count…

[2naSalit]

14. I hope they also...

Submit this to The Hague. We may not be members but some of the victims' countries may be. Other countries can exact a toll on us in other ways so there will accountability somewhere somehow.

[moonshinegnomie]

16. Columbia should charge them all with murder

And gave interpol issue a red notice so they can be arrested and extradited to Columbia if the leave the us

[Joinfortmill]

20. Good. Beautiful photo of him with his son. So very sad.

[Ruby the Liberal]

24. The Department of War Crimes is hopefully

about to Find Out.

[Torchlight]

26. The tragedies of the real world are unlike the drama on action shows

I sincerely hope conservative leadership (and the raft of sealions it brings with it) learns this one day, but I doubt that will happen.