Ecuador has officially supported a US military operation conducted earlier this week in which three vessels were sunk in the Eastern Pacific under allegations that they were supporting drug trafficking networks. The government stated on Friday that the interceptions and subsequent destruction of the ships were part of coordinated investigations with Washington aimed at dismantling criminal gang activities.
Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg explained to Teleamazonas that the targeted boats served as floating refueling stations for speedboats transporting narcotics northward toward Mexico and the United States. “This is work carried out through international cooperation,” Reimberg said.
The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) echoed these assertions, describing the interdiction of a vessel operating as a refueling station linked to the Los Choneros gang. According to SOUTHCOM, individuals removed from the boat were transferred to Ecuadorian authorities, after which US forces destroyed the vessel. A video released on X depicted US personnel boarding the ship before detonating it at sea, though the footage’s timing and location remain unverified independently.
Despite official statements, relatives of some crew members argue that the US military acted without sufficient evidence, insisting the men aboard were commercial fishermen. One wife told Reuters that her husband was fishing when US forces intervened and that no drugs were discovered on board; this claim has also not been independently verified.
The Ecuadorian navy reported retrieving 28 crew members from the targeted boats, including one sunk on Wednesday. The detainees arrived at Manta, Ecuador’s primary fishing port, aboard a local coastguard vessel. On Friday, groups of family members gathered outside the Community Surveillance Unit in Manta, awaiting updates on their missing relatives, according to AFP.
These incidents represent the latest developments in the Trump administration’s aggressive campaign against maritime drug trafficking, which has sparked concern across Latin America regarding the use of lethal force in international waters. SOUTHCOM previously confirmed an August 23 strike on a “low-profile” vessel that killed two people, followed by another attack two days later that resulted in four deaths. No identities have been released for the victims of either strike.
Trump has reportedly claimed in an unreleased memo obtained by US media that the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug-trafficking organizations.
I hope they are actually drug traffickers. My family are fishermen and we live in fear of being mistaken for criminals.
Sinking civilian boats without due process is dangerous precedent. How can relatives verify these claims when evidence is withheld?
Finally, some real action against the cartels! Cooperation with the US is the only way to stop these floating refueling stations.
The timeline here is vague. We need independent verification of those video clips before accepting the government narrative blindly.