Four Ecuadorian vessels sunk by US Navy over drug trafficking
The United States has destroyed a fourth boat linked to drug trafficking off Ecuador's coast. The 26 crew members have been taken into care by the Ecuadorian Navy.
US Navy: fourth drug trafficker vessel sunk off Ecuador's coast
The US Navy has sunk a fourth vessel flying the Ecuadorian flag off the coast of Ecuador as part of anti-drug operations carried out in recent days, according to RTBF Info.
"Once the main vessel was secured and the crew disembarked, American forces sank it along with the support boats that were attached to it," the US Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) wrote on X on Sunday. According to the same command, the destroyed boat "was operating in support of the violent narco-terrorist organisation Los Choneros".
The Ecuadorian Navy took charge of the 26 crew members, who were taken to the port of Manta. Sailors from two other vessels previously sunk were also taken to that port on Friday, briefly detained, and then released by a judge the following day.
All crew members involved have denied any involvement in drug trafficking. The local fishing sector, speaking through César Delgado, representative of fishermen in Manta, strongly criticised these operations to AFP: "They are criminalising the fishing activity to the point that, for the US Navy, every fisherman who goes on a fishing campaign is a potential criminal."
In July, the NGO Human Rights Watch had already reported that three boats had been attacked by American forces in the same area, resulting in at least eight people missing — facts that Washington denies.
These operations are part of a broader offensive. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, with the support of the United States, is waging a declared war on drug trafficking. Ecuador has joined the "Shield of the Americas", an anti-drug coalition bringing together around twenty states from Latin America and the Caribbean, placed under the aegis of Donald Trump.
Source: RTBF Info