Relatives of the captured crew say the US military acted without evidence and that the men were fishermen, not smugglers.
Published September 5, 2026
Ecuador this week defended a U.S. operation that sank three ships accused of continuing drug-trafficking operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Ecuadorian government announced Friday that the interception and sinking of the Ecuadorian vessel was part of a joint investigation with the U.S. government targeting drug smuggling activities linked to criminal organizations.
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Ecuador’s Interior Minister John Reinberg told broadcaster Tele Amazonas that the vessels were refueling points for speedboats transporting drugs north to Mexico and the United States.
“This is work done through international cooperation,” Reinberg said.
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) echoed Reinberg’s claims, saying it had “successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a maritime refueling station in support of illegal maritime drug trafficking operations” associated with the Los Choneros gang.
“Individuals removed from the ship will be safely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. Once cleared, U.S. forces sank the ship,” Southcom posted on Thursday.
A video accompanying Southcom’s post showed U.S. troops approaching and boarding the ship before it was blown up at sea. Video times and locations have not been independently verified.
Relatives of some of the crew accused the US military of acting without evidence and said the men on the boat were fishermen. The wife of one of the crew members told Reuters in a telephone interview that the men were fishing when U.S. troops came on board, but no drugs were found. Her account has not been independently verified.
Ecuador’s navy said it had picked up 28 crew members from the sunken ship and another boat on Wednesday, and they arrived in Manta, the country’s main fishing port, aboard a local coast guard vessel.
On Friday, a group of people were waiting for news of relatives who had traveled on the targeted boats over the past two days, AFP news agency said.
These incidents are the latest in the Trump administration’s campaign against maritime drug trafficking, which has raised concerns in Latin American countries about airstrikes and the use of lethal force in international waters.
Southcom confirmed that two people were killed in an earlier attack on a “low-profile” vessel on August 23. Two days later, another U.S. attack killed four people. There are no known victims in either attack.
President Trump claimed in a previously unpublished memo obtained by US media that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug lords.
