In a joint operation with Ecuadorian officials, the U.S. military intercepted and destroyed a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday that was reportedly functioning as a floating refueling station for drug-trafficking boats. The operation targeted a logistics node linked to the Los Choneros criminal organization, which has been a primary focus of Ecuadorian law enforcement for years.
Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio boarded the vessel in international waters near Ecuador. According to U.S. Southern Command (SOCOM), the ship was cleared without incident, and all individuals on board were detained and transferred to Ecuadorian custody. Following the boarding, the U.S. military conducted an airstrike to scuttle the vessel, releasing video footage of the destruction.
SOCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan characterized the mission as a significant achievement for the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. He stated that the operation successfully dismantled clandestine tactics used to facilitate the movement of narcotics toward American communities, describing the action as a direct blow to the logistics network supporting narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere.
The Los Choneros gang, which takes its name from the city of Chone, has long been a source of instability in Ecuador. The group was led by José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose 2024 prison escape triggered a violent surge in gang warfare across cities including Quito, Guayaquil, and Nobol. The resulting unrest saw gunmen storming a television studio during a live broadcast, prompting President Daniel Noboa to deploy the military to restore order.
Macías was eventually recaptured and extradited to the United States in July 2025. He is currently awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to drug and weapons charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice earlier that year.
This mission is part of a broader U.S. campaign targeting alleged drug smugglers in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Since the administration began its initiative against those it labels “narcoterrorists” nearly a year ago, there have been at least 68 strikes resulting in the deaths of at least 227 individuals.
The intensity of these operations has fluctuated, with a recent two-month pause in the Pacific campaign ending on a Sunday, when a strike resulted in two fatalities. Additionally, a separate operation in the Caribbean on Tuesday claimed the lives of four people, highlighting the ongoing nature of the maritime interdiction efforts. The report also notes that and the U.S, the people taken off the boat were then taken to Ecuador. The report also notes that our coalition dealt a decisive blow to a narco-terrorist operation responsible for moving significant amounts of drugs through the region, working together with our Ecuadorian partners. The report also notes that our Joint Force —… pic.twitter.com/lg7aesU5vH, by severing this critical maritime node. The report also notes that that attack brought the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. The report also notes that after which a large-scale gang war broke out on the streets of the capital of Quito, macías escaped from jail in 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. The report also notes that the gang wars expanded to Guayaquil and the nearby town of Nobol.
Source: CBS News
