Overview
- The U.S. Treasury on Thursday designated 15 individuals and entities and identified 10 Ecuador-flagged vessels for their roles in a maritime cocaine network that moved thousands of kilograms monthly toward Mexico and the United States.
- Treasury said the network used seemingly legitimate fishing vessels out of Manta to refuel and resupply smaller 'go-fast' powerboats that carry cocaine north through the eastern Pacific.
- Designations name members of the Mero family and front companies such as Arcasdenoe S.A. whom officials say coordinated fuel, food, medical support and logistics for large-scale shipments.
- The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets of the listed parties, bar U.S. persons from dealing with them, and warn foreign banks that facilitating transactions could risk secondary sanctions or civil and criminal penalties.
- The action builds on Operation Pacific Viper and broader U.S. counternarcotics work that has seized large cocaine loads, and Ecuador announced planned patrols by two U.S. warships even as reporting raises questions about aggressive interdiction tactics and risks to fishermen.