US sinks boat allegedly used to support drug traffickers

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he hosts a dinner in the Rose Garden at the White House on September 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. [AFP]

The United States military intercepted and sank a vessel that was allegedly used to support at-sea drug trafficking by Ecuadorian criminal organization Los Choneros, officials said on Wednesday.

It came after a similar operation on Friday that destroyed another vessel linked to the gang, one of Ecuador's main drug trafficking and extortion groups.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that its forces intercepted a vessel "operating as a floating refueling station" in support of Los Choneros in international waters of the Eastern Pacific.

The vessel was cleared without incident and those on board were transferred to Ecuador's authorities, SOUTHCOM said.

Grainy video footage accompanying the post showed armed men boarding a boat, which was later blown up.

"We are taking decisive action to dismantle and destroy sophisticated logistics networks used by narco-terrorists to traffic drugs and spread violence throughout the Western Hemisphere," SOUTHCOM chief General Francis Donovan said in the post.

The operation was conducted "in coordination and collaboration with the Government of Ecuador," the post added.

In the port city of Manta, a group of relatives of fishermen were seeking information about their loved ones on Wednesday after losing contact.

"They are fishermen, they struggle to bring food to our homes, for our children. We want answers, we want to know about them, if they are okay," Olivia Holguin, sister of the ship's captain, told AFP.

The boat left on Friday for a fishing trip and the crew had reported seeing helicopters and military boats approaching, according to the relatives.

AFP has not been able to verify if that vessel was the same as the one destroyed by US forces.

The US military launched operation "Southern Spear" a year ago, with President Donald Trump arguing that Washington is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

More than 200 people have been killed in strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean since then, according to a tally by AFP.

Trump's administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.

Ecuador's right-wing President Daniel Noboa is one of Trump's closest allies in Latin America.

In March, Ecuador joined Trump's "Shield of the Americas," a US-led coalition to combat drug trafficking in the region.