US Treasury Sanctions Ecuador-to-US Cocaine Trafficking Network
The sanctions target a maritime supply chain that moved thousands of kilograms of cocaine each month and used 10 vessels, Treasury said.
- 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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Under the façade of legitimate fishing companies, a fleet of boats based near Manta, Ecuador, moves cocaine in speedboats – also known as go-fast boats – to Mexico, and then sends it to the United States, the Treasury Department said by sanctioning 15 targets with Ecuadorian residence.
QUITO (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned 15 people for their participation in a network that allegedly sent thousands of kilograms of cocaine every month from Ecuador to the United States.
The allied governments of Ecuador and the United States have been conducting joint operations for months against outlawed organizations in the South American country, which is being swept by a wave of violence. The post Ecuador: Joint military operations with the United States near the border with Colombia appeared first on in.gr.
The operations are carried out with secrecy and are part of the agreement Shield of the Americas
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