US military sinks fourth vessel off Ecuador in joint anti-drug operation

Sinking of the fourth vessel

United States military forces sank a fourth Ecuadorian-flagged vessel suspected of ties to narcotics trafficking off the coast of Ecuador on Saturday. The action occurred during a joint operation between United States military personnel and Ecuadorian security authorities. Video and updates regarding the maritime mission were subsequently distributed on social media channels by the United States armed forces. According to statements published on Sunday on X by United States Southern Command, the destroyed vessel was operating in direct support of Los Choneros, an armed group designated as a violent narcoterrorist organization. United States personnel intercepted and boarded the craft before taking steps to permanently eliminate it at sea.

Once the main vessel was secured and the crew disembarked, American forces sank it with the support craft that were attached to it.

Legal processing of crews in Manta

Following the interception, the Ecuadorian Navy took responsibility for the 26 crew members who had been evacuated from the vessel before it went down. Naval personnel began transporting the 26 individuals toward the Ecuadorian port city of Manta for formal processing. This marks the fourth vessel flying the Ecuadorian flag to be destroyed by the United States Navy in recent days over alleged narcotics links. All crew members aboard the four ships have rejected the accusations and denied any involvement in drug trafficking activities. Similar detentions in the same port previously resulted in swift releases under Ecuadorian law. Crew members from two other vessels sunk by United States forces were escorted to a Manta police station upon arrival on Friday, only to be freed by a local judge the following day.

Fishermen objections and human rights allegations

The string of naval sinkings has generated strong pushback from fishing industry representatives operating along the Ecuadorian coast. In Manta, local fishing sector leaders expressed frustration over the widening scope of maritime enforcement and the presumption of criminal guilt applied to standard crews. César Delgado, an official representative of the fishing sector in Manta, voiced these concerns directly when speaking to Agence France-Presse.

They are criminalizing fishing activity, to the point that, for the American navy, any fisherman who sets out on a fishing trip is a potential criminal.

The recent maritime operations also follow earlier scrutiny by non-governmental monitoring groups. In July, Human Rights Watch stated that United States forces had attacked three boats off the coast of Ecuador, an incident that the organization said left at least eight people missing. Officials in Washington have explicitly denied the claims regarding those July boat attacks and the reported disappearances.

Regional anti-drug coalition

The joint maritime operations are part of an expanded security partnership between the government in Quito and the United States. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa is conducting a wide campaign against drug trafficking organizations operating across Ecuador with direct military and political backing from Washington. To reinforce regional enforcement, Noboa enrolled Ecuador in the Shield of the Americas. That anti-drug alliance brings together approximately twenty nations across Latin America and the Caribbean under the leadership of Donald Trump. The coalition targets maritime transit routes used by transnational cartels to move illicit substances through the eastern Pacific Ocean.