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4h ago

U.S. Forces Sink Floating Refueling Vessel Linked to Los Choneros

The operation signals an expanded U.S.-Ecuador naval campaign to cut cartel fuel supplies at sea.

Relatives of fishermen have been waiting anxiously for the return of their loved ones in the Ecuadoran port of Manta after the US military intercepted and sank a vessel it accused of running drugs
Image
Los Choneros vessel boarded by US Marines (SOUTHCOM)

Overview

  • The U.S. Southern Command said Thursday it interdicted, boarded, removed people from, and sank a floating refueling vessel in international waters of the Eastern Pacific.
  • SOUTHCOM said its intelligence tied the ship to the Ecuadoran gang Los Choneros and that occupants were safely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities before the vessel was destroyed; U.S. forces posted video of the boarding and explosion.
  • The strike is the third sinking of vessels linked to Los Choneros in a single week and comes within a broader Operation Southern Spear campaign that U.S. officials say has destroyed about 70 vessels and caused more than 220 deaths since 2025.
  • Ecuador’s government has publicly defended the joint investigations with Washington, while U.N. human-rights experts, Human Rights Watch and relatives of missing fishermen are pressing for independent probes and raising allegations of disappearances.
  • Fishermen and coastal communities report fear and reduced fishing activity, and rights groups warn that at-sea sinkings can destroy evidence, prompt legal challenges and complicate regional intelligence sharing.