US Treasury Sanctions Ecuador-to-US Cocaine Trafficking Network
The sanctions target a maritime supply chain that moved thousands of kilograms of cocaine each month and used 10 vessels, Treasury said.
- On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions on 15 individuals and entities based in Ecuador, along with 10 vessels, for their roles in an alleged maritime cocaine trafficking operation.
- The Treasury Department linked the network to Ecuadorian groups Los Choneros and Los Lobos, which used seemingly legitimate fishing vessels operating out of Manta to move thousands of kilograms of cocaine monthly.
- Treasury said the vessels refueled and resupplied 'go-fast' boats carrying drugs north through the Pacific Ocean toward Mexico, where the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels took over distribution to the U.S.
- Under the new sanctions, U.S.-based assets belonging to the designated individuals are frozen, and U.S. persons are barred from business dealings. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, 'Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to disrupt the cartels' drug trafficking operations and protect our borders.'
- Officials tied the move to Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard-led counternarcotics campaign launched in August 2025 that has seized more than 225,000 pounds of cocaine through June 2026, marking one of nearly 30 cartel-focused actions since early 2025.
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The U.S. Treasury Department has just sanctioned a drug trafficking network based in Ecuador, to which it attributes the monthly shipment of thousands of kilograms of cocaine from South America to Mexico, with final destination to the U.S. market. The measure includes 15 individuals and entities and 10 fishing boats. The measures that were announced on August 20 freeze the assets and interests of sanctioned individuals and entities that are in t…
Ecuador's ships pretended to be part of fishing companies, but they were used for drug trafficking into Mexico's cartels.
US Sanctions 15 People Linked to Ecuadorian Narcotics Network
The U.S. Treasury Department on Aug. 20 sanctioned 15 people linked to two of Ecuador’s biggest gangs for their involvement in monthly shipments of thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Ecuador, via Mexico, to the United States. In a statement, the Treasury Department said the network was affiliated with Los Choneros and Los Lobos, which were designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) in September 2025. “Operating under the guise of l…
Under the façade of legitimate fishing companies, a fleet of boats based near Manta, Ecuador, moves cocaine in speedboats – also known as go-fast boats – to Mexico, and then sends it to the United States, the Treasury Department said by sanctioning 15 targets with Ecuadorian residence.
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