(VIDEO) U.S. forces intercepted and sank a vessel in the Eastern Pacific that authorities said was being used as a floating refueling station to support maritime drug trafficking, according to U.S. Southern Command.
Southern Command said intelligence indicated the vessel was providing logistical support to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal organization that U.S. authorities have designated as a transnational criminal and terrorist threat. The crew was removed from the vessel before it was sunk, officials said.
Those aboard are expected to be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities, as Washington and its regional partners intensify efforts to disrupt drug-trafficking networks operating across the Western Hemisphere.
The operation reflects the broader U.S. strategy of targeting not only vessels transporting illegal drugs but also the logistical networks that enable maritime trafficking. For decades, the Eastern Pacific has been a major corridor for cocaine shipments originating in South America and bound for markets in North America and beyond.
Ecuador has increasingly become a key battleground in the region’s fight against organized crime. Los Choneros, one of the country’s most powerful criminal groups, has been linked by authorities to drug trafficking, violence and other illicit activities. The group emerged from Ecuador’s prison system and expanded its influence as the country became an important transit point for cocaine produced elsewhere in South America.
The latest operation comes amid heightened U.S. cooperation with Latin American governments to combat transnational organized crime, reflecting a decades-old approach that combines maritime interdiction, intelligence sharing and cooperation with national authorities.
U.S. officials say such operations are intended to disrupt the infrastructure supporting trafficking networks and prevent criminal organizations from exploiting international waters to move drugs and supplies.
