U.S. sinks 2nd drug traffickers’ floating fuel station in Eastern Pacific
A U.S. task force has intercepted and sunk another vessel used as a floating refueling station by drug traffickers tied to Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang, its second such operation in two days, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The people aboard were transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.
The operation took place Wednesday in international waters, with SOUTHCOM working alongside the Ecuadorian government. Intelligence determined that the vessel was supporting at-sea drug-trafficking operations for Los Choneros, which U.S. authorities describe as a “violent narco-terrorist organization.”
A unit launched from the USS San Antonio boarded, searched and cleared the vessel without incident. U.S. forces sank it after the people aboard had been removed, SOUTHCOM said.
The operation follows a similar mission Tuesday, when a U.S. task force intercepted and sank another floating refueling station tied to Los Choneros in the eastern Pacific. The people aboard that vessel were also turned over to Ecuadorian authorities.
Los Choneros is one of two Ecuadorian gangs, along with Los Lobos, designated by the United States as Foreign Terrorist Organizations over their involvement in violent drug-trafficking operations.
On Sep. 3, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, and in coordination and collaboration with the Government of Ecuador, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station in support… pic.twitter.com/oz6LfbbBYF
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) September 4, 2026
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