Yu...yu...you mean Trump is lying and his MAGAt cracker retards are so demented that they can't see the truth for themselves? Weird!
Yes, a capsized boat is unlikely to have a powered and functional transmitter. Only a fucking moron would suggest that they were using a walkie-talkie hundreds of miles out at sea. VHF radios are line-of-sight. Range can be extended by antenna height. A handheld radio of a swimmer in the water would only carry to the horizon, less than 2.7 miles.
Add to this, from a military POV, isn't it smart to let them call for help and then sink who ever comes to assist if they, too, are drug runners?
Your VHF radio is intended mainly for short range communications, generally 5-10 miles, and at least 20 miles to a USCG station.