Drug-trafficking vessel intercepted and sunk by USA and Ecuador in Pacific
American and Ecuadorian forces intercepted a vessel operating as a refuelling station for narco-terrorist networks in the Eastern Pacific. The crew was taken to Manta port, and the vessel was destroyed.
Joint US-Ecuador operation: Los Choneros cartel vessel sunk in Pacific
The American military announced on Friday evening that it had intercepted and destroyed a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific as part of an operation coordinated with the Ecuadorian government—a first between the two countries, according to Google News RO—Crime (ro), citing France Presse.
The US Southern Military Command (SOUTHCOM) stated on platform X that its forces intercepted the vessel on 28 August, at the disposition of General Francis L. Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM. The vessel operated as a "floating refuelling station" in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, in support of maritime drug trafficking operations.
According to the SOUTHCOM statement, information confirmed that the vessel, previously identified and which was the subject of sanctions from the US Treasury Department, "operated for the benefit of the violent narco-terrorist organisation Los Choneros". The vessel's crew was taken to the port of Manta in Ecuador, and the vessel was subsequently destroyed.
"Today's interception and sinking of the floating refuelling station used for maritime drug trafficking has struck directly at the logistical network feeding narco-terrorists and cartels in the Western Hemisphere," the SOUTHCOM statement said. "By cutting this critical maritime node, our Joint Force has demonstrated that we can act anywhere and at any time."
The operation involved Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) and represents the first joint effort of this kind between the USA and Ecuador in the Eastern Pacific.
Context: air campaign and regional anti-drug coalition
The action comes roughly one year after the American government launched a campaign of air strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, a campaign that resulted in over 200 deaths.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa is, for his part, waging an internal war against drug traffickers, with the support of the United States, and participates in the "Shield of the Americas" initiative—an anti-drug coalition formed by 20 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinated by American President Donald Trump.
Los Choneros is one of the most active criminal organisations in Ecuador, involved in international drug trafficking and numerous acts of violence within the country.
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)