Ecuador Says US Sinkings Of Vessels Were Part Of Joint Anti-Drug Probe
Ecuador says the joint operation targeted drug-smuggling logistics, while relatives of crew members said the men were fishermen and no drugs were found.
- On Friday, Ecuador defended United States operations that intercepted and sank three vessels this week, while relatives of some crew members disputed the official account and accused Washington of acting without evidence.
- Southern Command reported the vessels acted as 'refueling stations' for the Los Choneros gang, while Interior Minister John Reimberg called the sinkings 'work carried out through international cooperation.'
- Arriving in Manta, 28 crew members from the Conquista II and OM2 reached port aboard a vessel from The Ecuadorean Navy, while another eight crew members from the Conquista II are still returning.
- Disputing the official account, relatives of the crew spoke out, including 47-year-old Rosalba, who alleged the men were fishing and claimed the United States government acted 'in such an arbitrary way' within Ecuadorean waters.
- A widening United States maritime drug campaign in the Pacific has drawn criticism from rights groups and concern across Latin America regarding the use of lethal force at sea.
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The operation was conducted by the United States Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force, after radar intercepted the vessels.
The Trump administration launched a year ago a campaign of airstrikes, in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, against boats allegedly belonging to drug traffickers, killing more than 200 people. In the fishing port of Manta (southwest), from where the boats intercepted this week went, fishermen and their families assured Friday that they had no connection with the drug traffic. They called into question American anti-drug operations. "We …
The government of Daniel Noboa confirmed that three boats were bombed in the Ecuadorian Pacific and reported that nine OM2 Conquest 2 and 19 crew members were transferred to the port of Manta. At the same time, a statement from the U.S. Southern Command indicated that these ships were allegedly used to refuel ships linked to drug trafficking.
The U.S. Army sank a boat off the coast of Ecuador for its alleged links to drug trafficking. It is the third ship destroyed in a week during coordinated operations between Washington and Quito against organized crime. U.S. Southern Command reported that...
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