Ecuador backs US sinking of three drug-linked vessels in Pacific joint operation
Ecuador's government has defended a joint US operation that sank three vessels linked to drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. Relatives of crew members say the men were fishermen.
Ecuador and US defend sinking of three vessels in anti-drug Pacific operation
Google News IE — Crime (en) reports that Ecuador has backed a US military operation this week in which three vessels, accused of supporting drug-trafficking networks, were sunk in the Eastern Pacific.
Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg told broadcaster Teleamazonas on Friday that the targeted boats were refuelling points for speedboats ferrying narcotics northward towards Mexico and the United States. "This is work carried out through international cooperation," Reimberg said.
Ecuador's government described the interceptions as part of joint investigations with Washington aimed at disrupting smuggling activities connected to criminal gangs.
The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) backed Reimberg's account, stating it "successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refuelling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations", linking the boat to the Los Choneros gang. "Individuals removed from the vessel will be safely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. Once cleared, U.S. forces sank the vessel," SOUTHCOM posted on X on Thursday.
Video footage accompanying SOUTHCOM's post showed US personnel boarding a vessel before it was blown up at sea. The time and location of the footage have not been independently verified.
Relatives of some crew members disputed the military's account, saying the men aboard were fishermen, not drug runners. The wife of one crew member told the Reuters news agency that US forces boarded the boat while the men were fishing and that no drugs were found. Her account has also not been independently verified.
The Ecuadorian navy said it received 28 crew members from that vessel and a second boat sunk on Wednesday. The men arrived at Manta, Ecuador's main fishing port, aboard a local coastguard vessel. On Friday, a group of relatives gathered awaiting news of those on board the targeted boats, according to the AFP news agency.
The incidents form part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration against maritime drug trafficking, which has prompted concern across Latin America over the use of air strikes and lethal force in international waters.
SOUTHCOM confirmed a prior strike on a "low-profile" vessel on 23 August that killed two people, and a further US attack two days later that killed four. No victims were identified in either incident.
President Donald Trump has claimed the United States is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug-trafficking organisations, according to an unreleased memo obtained by US media outlets.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)