Ecuador Says US Sinkings Of Vessels Were Part Of Joint Anti-Drug Probe
Ecuador says the joint operation targeted drug-smuggling logistics, while relatives of crew members said the men were fishermen and no drugs were found.
- On Friday, Ecuador defended U.S. operations that intercepted and sank three Ecuadorean vessels this week, maintaining the action targets drug-smuggling logistics despite triggering public pushback from crew relatives.
- U.S. Southern Command reported the vessels acted as refueling stations for the Los Choneros gang, while Interior Minister John Reimberg told broadcaster Teleamazonas the sinkings represented "work carried out through international cooperation."
- Arriving in Manta, 28 crew members from the Conquista II and OM2 reached port aboard an Ecuadorean Navy coast guard vessel at 3 p.m. local time, while another eight crew members from the Conquista II were still returning.
- Relatives of the crew disputed the official account, with 47-year-old Rosalba alleging the men were fishing when boarded and claiming the U.S. government acted "in such an arbitrary way" within Ecuadorean waters.
- This episode reflects a widening U.S. maritime drug campaign in the Pacific that has drawn criticism from rights groups and concern across Latin America over the use of lethal force at sea.
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People and human rights organizations are increasingly concerned.
The operation was conducted by the United States Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force, after radar intercepted the vessels.
The Trump administration launched a year ago a campaign of airstrikes, in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, against boats allegedly belonging to drug traffickers, killing more than 200 people. In the fishing port of Manta (southwest), from where the boats intercepted this week went, fishermen and their families assured Friday that they had no connection with the drug traffic. They called into question American anti-drug operations. "We …
The government of Daniel Noboa confirmed that three boats were bombed in the Ecuadorian Pacific and reported that nine OM2 Conquest 2 and 19 crew members were transferred to the port of Manta. At the same time, a statement from the U.S. Southern Command indicated that these ships were allegedly used to refuel ships linked to drug trafficking.
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