U.S. Forces Board And Sink Vessel Tied To Narco-Terrorist Drug Trafficking In Pacific Waters

U.S. forces, working with the Government of Ecuador, interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station for illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters on Aug. 28, 2026.

The operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere at the direction of U.S. Southern Command Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

Intelligence confirmed the vessel had previously been identified and targeted under Department of the Treasury sanctions and was operating in support of the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization.

U.S. Marines and Sailors launched from USS San Antonio and intercepted, boarded, searched and cleared the vessel without incident.

Individuals removed from the vessel were safely escorted to Ecuador.

After the vessel was cleared, U.S. forces sank it.

The interdiction cuts off a critical node in the traffickers’ logistics chain and advances the goals of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition and Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere to dismantle narco-terrorist networks.