Alejandro Carranza Medina
He was killed instantly when the vessel he was aboard was hit by a U.S. airstrike at sea. The explosion and destruction of the boat left no chance of survival for those onboard.
According to U.S. military statements, vessels in the Caribbean were being bombed to prevent drug shipments from reaching North America. Alejandro’s boat was classified by the U.S. as a trafficking vessel. However, no public evidence has been shown to prove there were drugs on board. The Colombian government later stated that Alejandro’s boat had suffered a mechanical failure and was stranded at sea — a scenario that would resemble normal fishing distress, not criminal activity. Critics argue that the strike was an extrajudicial killing, because no attempt was made to intercept, inspect, question, or detain the crew before lethal force was used.
Biography
Alejandro Carranza was a 40-year-old Colombian fisherman from Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. He made his living at sea and was known by his family and community as a hardworking man devoted to fishing and to his home life with his wife, Katerine Hernández. After leaving shore for what was supposed to be a normal fishing trip, he disappeared and was later confirmed dead following a U.S. military strike at sea. His death has sparked outrage, questions, and diplomatic tension, as his family insists he had no connection to drug trafficking.
Alejandro Carranza grew up along Colombia’s northern coast, where fishing is one of the main sources of income for many families. Friends and relatives describe him as calm, humble, and focused on providing for his home. He regularly went on multi-day fishing trips and was familiar with open waters. On his final trip, he set sail from Santa Marta expecting to return with fish, as he always did.
When his family lost contact with him, they assumed he was facing normal weather or mechanical delays — something not uncommon for small Colombian fishing boats. Days later, the family saw news of U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and eventually learned that Alejandro was among the dead. Instead of being remembered as a fisherman, his name was abruptly placed among alleged “narco-traffickers,” a claim his loved ones strongly reject. His death has since become a symbol of the dangers faced by ordinary fishermen caught in geopolitical and military operations far beyond their control.
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
The family of Alejandro Carranza has said about his death:
They insist Alejandro was a fisherman, not a drug trafficker — his “daily activity was fishing.”
His wife, Katerine Hernández, described him as “a good man.” She denied that the boat had anything to do with drugs.
The family says the boat had engine trouble and was adrift — with a distress signal — when it was struck
They view the strike as an unjustified attack: in their complaint filed with Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), they accuse the U.S. government of “murder” and of ordering “extrajudicial killings.”
The family says his death left them without their main breadwinner, and that they’ve been threatened since speaking out.
His wife has asked publicly:
“Why did they take his life like that? Fishermen have the right to live. Why didn’t they just detain them?”
Additional Information
Sources & References
The family of a Colombian man who was killed in a U.S. strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean has filed a formal complaint to a leading human rights agency, arguing the man’s death was an extrajudicial killing. The petition filed by U.S.-based human rights lawyer Daniel Kovalik, on behalf of the family of Alejandro Carranza, says he was killed after the U.S. military bombed his fishing boat on Sept. 15 while he was sailing along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and that his death violated human rights conventions. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights received the petition on Tuesday, which was first reported by The Guardian. Because the U.S. does not recognize the existence of an international court associated with the human rights body, any recommendations given by the commission would not be legally binding.1 globalnews.ca Open source
Alejandro Carranza's loved ones say he left home on Colombia's Caribbean coast to fish in open waters. Days later, he was dead — one of at least 32 alleged drug traffickers killed in U.S. military strikes. From Santa Marta, northern Colombia, Carranza's family is questioning White House claims that he was carrying narcotics aboard a small vessel targeted last month. For his wife Katerine Hernandez, the 40-year-old was "a good man" devoted to fishing.2 cbsnews.com Open source
Esto dicen los familiares de colombiano muerto en ataque de EE.UU. a lancha en el Caribe Su esposa insiste en que el colombiano era un pescador oriundo de Santa Marta. También se conoció que el hombre tenía antecedentes por el robo de más de 200 armas de la fuerza pública en alianza con grupos criminales.3 elcolombiano.com Open source