United States Navy sinks Los Choneros drug-smuggling vessel in Ecuadorian waters
The United States Navy sank a vessel linked to drug smuggling in Ecuadorian waters, with 26 people arrested. The operation was directed against Los Choneros, which is designated as a terrorist organisation.
United States Navy strikes Los Choneros drug organisation off Ecuador's coast
According to 24.hu citing the MTI, United States naval forces attacked and sank a vessel linked to drug smuggling in Ecuador's maritime territorial waters. The operation was carried out jointly with Ecuadorian authorities.
Twenty-six people aboard the vessel named María Candelaria were arrested and transported to the port city of Manta, Quito announced on Saturday. According to Ecuadorian authorities, the vessel supported the activities of a criminal organisation known as Los Choneros, which is present in Colombia, Peru and Mexico alongside Ecuador, and is suspected of numerous violent crimes.
The United States designated Los Choneros as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2025. According to BBC reporting, in July 2026, two men dressed as police officers killed David Macías, the brother of the organisation's leader and aged 35, at his home; the attackers fled and their identities remain unknown.
This was the fourth instance in which American forces have destroyed a vessel in anti-drug smuggling operations in Ecuadorian waters. The AFP French news agency added that the captured sailors have not acknowledged committing the acts that prompted the military intervention in a single case to date.
Source: 24.hu