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3d ago

U.S. Sinks Another Refueling Vessel Linked to Los Choneros

The interdiction is part of an expanded maritime campaign meant to sever cartel fuel lines and has drawn growing legal and human-rights scrutiny.

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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)
Crew members from the boat Maria Candelaria arrive at a police facility in Manta, Ecuador, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, after being returned to the country following the interception of the vessel by U.S. authorities on suspicion of alleged drug trafficking. (AP Photo/Ariel Ochoa)
Women wait for 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, outside a police station in Manta, Ecuador, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Ochoa)

Overview

  • U.S. Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere boarded, cleared and sank a large Eastern Pacific vessel after officials said intelligence tied it to the Ecuador‑based Los Choneros group and its crew were handed to Ecuadorian authorities.
  • The strike is one in a recent wave of attacks on so-called floating refueling stations, with U.S. statements saying multiple large vessels have been sunk since Aug. 28 to disrupt at-sea logistics that resupply faster drug-smuggling boats.
  • Rights groups, U.N. experts and some Ecuadorian officials have questioned the legal basis and evidence for the strikes and called for independent probes while the Pentagon inspector general and Congress review targeting and civilian‑protection practices.
  • Reporting aggregations place cumulative U.S. boat strikes at roughly 68 operations with about 227 deaths over the past year, and critics say the campaign has at times destroyed evidence and produced disputed claims about survivors’ criminal involvement.
  • The campaign builds on a policy shift that designated Los Choneros as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in Sept. 2025, activated JTF‑WHEM in Aug. 2026, and used sanctions and bilateral cooperation including the July 2026 extradition of leader Fito Macias.