Ecuador defends US sinking of vessels as joint anti-drug operation

Relatives of detained crew say US forces acted without evidence, claiming the men were fishermen, not smugglers.

A group of detained fishermen is transported on a National Police bus to the Community Surveillance Unit (UVC) in Manta, Ecuador, on September 4, 2026 [AFP]

Ecuador has defended a US operation this week that sank three vessels accused of sustaining drug-trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.

Ecuador’s government said on Friday the interception and sinking of the Ecuadorian vessels were part of joint investigations ⁠with Washington targeting drug-smuggling activities linked to criminal gangs.

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Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg told broadcaster Teleamazonas the vessels were refueling points for speedboats that move drugs north towards Mexico and the United States.

“This is ⁠work carried out through international cooperation,” Reimberg said.

The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reiterated Reimberg’s claim, saying it “successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations”, linked to the Los Choneros gang.

“Individuals removed from the vessel will be safely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. Once cleared, U.S. forces sank the vessel,” SOUTHCOM posted on X on Thursday.

A video accompanying SOUTHCOM’s post showed US forces approaching and boarding a vessel before it was blown up at sea. The time and location of the video have not been independently verified.

Relatives of some crew members accused the US military of acting without evidence and said the men on the boats were fishermen. The wife of one crew member told the Reuters news agency in a phone interview that the men had been fishing when US forces boarded and that no drugs were found. Her account has not been independently verified.

The Ecuadorian navy said that it received 28 crew members from that vessel and another boat that was sunk on Wednesday and that they arrived in Manta, the country’s main fishing port, on board a local coastguard vessel.

Relatives of detained fishermen wait outside the Community Surveillance Unit (UVC) in Manta, Ecuador, on September 4, 2026 [AFP]

On Friday, a group of people waited for news of their relatives who, they said, were traveling on the boats targeted in the past two days, the AFP news agency reported.

The incidents are the latest in the Trump administration’s campaign against maritime drug trafficking that has drawn concern in Latin America over the use of air attacks and lethal force on international waters.

SOUTHCOM confirmed a previous attack on a “low-profile” vessel that killed two people on August 23. Another US strike killed four people two days later. No victims were identified in either attack.

Trump has claimed the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug-trafficking organisations in an unreleased memo obtained by US media.

被拘留船员的亲属表示，美军在没有证据的情况下采取行动，声称这些人是渔民，而不是走私犯。

2026年9月4日，一群被拘留的渔民乘坐国家警察巴士前往厄瓜多尔曼塔的社区监视单位（UVC）。[法新社]

厄瓜多尔为美国本周的一次行动辩护，该行动击沉了三艘被指控在东太平洋从事毒品走私活动的船只。

厄瓜多尔政府周五表示，拦截并击沉厄瓜多尔船只是与华盛顿联合调查的一部分，旨在打击与犯罪团伙有关的毒品走私活动。

美国在东太平洋袭击一艘疑似运毒船只，造成两人死亡（共4条报道，此为第1条）。

人权观察组织称，在美厄联合军事行动中，平民遭受袭击和虐待，这是四起事件中的第二起。

美国军方称，对一艘涉嫌走私毒品的船只发动袭击，造成两人死亡（共4条记录，此为第3条）。

列表 4/4：特朗普发起“船难”运动一年后，遇难者家属仍在寻求答案

厄瓜多尔内政部长约翰·雷姆伯格告诉 Teleamazonas 电视台，这些船只为向北向墨西哥和美国运送毒品的快艇提供燃料。

“这是通过国际合作开展的工作，”雷姆贝格说。

美国南方司令部（SOUTHCOM）重申了雷姆伯格的说法，称其“成功拦截了一艘作为海上非法毒品贩运行动支持的浮动加油站的船只”，该船只与洛斯乔内罗斯帮派有关。

“从船上救出的人员将被安全移交给厄瓜多尔当局。确认安全后，美军已将该船击沉。”美国南方司令部周四在X网站上发布消息称。

美国南方司令部发布的一段视频显示，美军接近并登上了一艘船只，随后该船在海上被炸毁。该视频的拍摄时间和地点尚未得到独立核实。

部分船员的亲属指责美军在没有证据的情况下采取行动，并称船上的人都是渔民。一名船员的妻子在接受路透社电话采访时表示，美军登船时，这些人正在捕鱼，而且没有发现任何毒品。她的说法尚未得到独立证实。

厄瓜多尔海军表示，他们接收了周三沉没的那艘船和另一艘船上的 28 名船员，他们乘坐当地海岸警卫队的船只抵达了该国的主要渔港曼塔。

2026年9月4日，在厄瓜多尔曼塔，被拘留渔民的亲属在社区监视单位（UVC）外等候。[法新社]

据法新社报道，周五，一群人等待着亲人的消息，他们说，他们的亲人乘坐的是过去两天遭到袭击的船只。

这些事件是特朗普政府打击海上毒品走私行动的最新进展，该行动在拉丁美洲引起了对在国际水域使用空袭和致命武力的担忧。

美国南方司令部证实，8月23日曾发生一起针对一艘“低调”船只的袭击事件，造成两人死亡。两天后，美军再次发动袭击，造成四人死亡。两次袭击均未确认遇难者身份。

美国媒体获得的一份未公开备忘录显示，特朗普声称美国正与贩毒组织进行“非国际性武装冲突”。