Ecuador’s government supported the recent U.S. operations that resulted in the interception and sinking of three Ecuadorian fishing vessels, despite protests from the families of the crew members, who claim that the men were merely fishermen and accuse the U.S. of acting without concrete evidence. This incident is part of a broader U.S. initiative to combat maritime drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, a campaign that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and raised concerns in Latin America about the use of deadly force at sea.
Family members of the crew members refuted the official narrative, with Rosalba, the wife of one of the fishermen, asserting that they were fishing at the time of the boarding and that no drugs were discovered aboard their vessel. She argued that the U.S. government’s actions were arbitrary and a violation of the fishermen’s human rights, claiming the incident occurred in Ecuadorian waters rather than international waters.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister, John Reimberg, clarified that the operation was based on coordinated investigations with the U.S., targeting drug smuggling operations linked to criminal gangs. The U.S. Southern Command stated that the sunk vessels functioned as refueling stations for drug traffickers and were associated with the Los Choneros gang. Footage released by the military depicted operatives boarding and destroying a vessel at sea, although independent verification of the footage remains unavailable.
Among the crew members involved, 28 were reported to have arrived in Manta aboard a coast guard vessel, while a few others were on their way back to port. The situation highlights the ongoing tension between Ecuador, its citizens, and the U.S. government’s enforcement strategies against drug trafficking.
