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US Treasury Sanctions Ecuador-to-US Cocaine Trafficking Network

The sanctions target 15 people and entities and 10 vessels, as Treasury says the network moved thousands of kilograms of cocaine each month.

  • On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions on 15 individuals and entities based in Ecuador, along with 10 vessels, for their roles in an alleged maritime cocaine trafficking operation.
  • The Treasury Department linked the network to Ecuadorian groups Los Choneros and Los Lobos, which used seemingly legitimate fishing vessels operating out of Manta to move thousands of kilograms of cocaine monthly.
  • Treasury said the vessels refueled and resupplied 'go-fast' boats carrying drugs north through the Pacific Ocean toward Mexico, where the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels took over distribution to the U.S.
  • Under the new sanctions, U.S.-based assets belonging to the designated individuals are frozen, and U.S. persons are barred from business dealings. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, 'Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to disrupt the cartels' drug trafficking operations and protect our borders.'
  • Officials tied the move to Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard-led counternarcotics campaign launched in August 2025 that has seized more than 225,000 pounds of cocaine through June 2026, marking one of nearly 30 cartel-focused actions since early 2025.
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Associated Press NewsAssociated Press News
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US Treasury sanctions Ecuador-to-US cocaine trafficking network

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned 15 people involved in a network allegedly shipping cocaine from Ecuador through Mexico to the U.S.

·New York, United States
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Center

Today, the United States sanctioned 15 people and entities based in Ecuador and blocked 10 fishing vessels designated to participate in a network that transported thousands of kilograms of cocaine from South America to Mexico, with final destination to U.S. territory. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department indicated that those involved are linked to Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two of the most violent criminal orga…

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Center

By Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español The United States government on Thursday sanctioned 15 individuals and companies in Ecuador, accusing them of being part of a network that allegedly traffics large quantities of cocaine for Mexican drug cartels, through a route that, according to Washington, is used for drug trafficking. The post US sanctions 15 individuals and companies in Ecuador accused of allegedly trafficking cocaine for Mexican cartels ap…

·Panama City, United States
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Lean Left

President Trump's administration managed to stop the flow of drugs to the United States from a gang of 15 people

·Los Angeles, United States
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The Free Press (Tampa) broke the news in Tampa, United States on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
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