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U.S. sinks second "floating refueling station" used by alleged drug traffickers
U.S. forces say the interdiction disrupted a fuel supply node and cut off support for multiple drug-trafficking boats, with 26 crew members transferred to Ecuador.
- On Friday, Ecuador defended U.S. military operations that intercepted and sank three Ecuadorean vessels this week, calling them the product of joint investigations to disrupt drug trafficking.
- These sinkings are part of Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. military campaign targeting vessels used by the Los Choneros gang as floating refueling stations in the Eastern Pacific.
- The Ecuadorean Navy reported Thursday that 28 crew members from two intercepted vessels were removed and "safely transferred" to the port city of Manta before the sinking.
- Human rights groups and some Latin American leaders characterize the strikes as "extrajudicial killings," noting the broader campaign has destroyed 70 vessels and killed more than 220 people over the past year.
- President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of President Donald Trump, led Ecuador to join the "Shield of the Americas" coalition in March to combat regional drug trafficking.
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186 Articles
186 Articles
US sinks an Ecuadorian ship in the Pacific it alleges is tied to drug
Women seek information about the expected arrival of their relatives who were aboard the Maria Candelaria, a vessel intercepted two days prior by U.S. authorities on suspicion of alleged drug trafficking, at the port in Manta, Ecuador, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Ochoa)
·Baltimore, United States
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U.S. forces sink alleged drug-trafficking refueling vessel in eastern Pacific
·Beijing, China
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Associated Press News+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
QUITO (AP) — U.S. Southern Command reported Monday that its forces in the Pacific Ocean neutralized a new vessel from Ecuador that, they said, was linked to the dangerous criminal group Los Choneros.
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources186
Leaning Left27Leaning Right32Center35Last UpdatedBias Distribution37% Center
Bias Distribution
- 37% of the sources are Center
37% Center
L 29%
C 37%
R 34%
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