The US Southern Command destroyed another Ecuadorian vessel in the Pacific on Tuesday, the sixth in less than two weeks, for allegedly operating as a refueling station for drug trafficking operations. American forces intercepted the fishing boat "Don Rufo," captured the crew, and sank it, later handing over the individuals to Ecuadorian authorities. The operations have been ongoing since August 28, in coordination with President Daniel Noboa's government, with the declared objective of halting the operations of Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal group associated with the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico.
The crew members of the sunk vessels and their families deny the alleged links to Los Choneros, a group designated as terrorist by the United States. A judge released 28 crew members from two vessels after finding no evidence of crime, and on Tuesday another 32 were placed under conditional release, after being accused of unlawful association, a charge their lawyers rejected due to lack of evidence from the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Ecuadorian Navy indicated it is coordinating the return to the port city of Manta of 22 crew members from the "Montecristi" ship, intercepted on Monday, and only six from the "Don Rufo," since another 10 are still being sought after reportedly leaving the intervention site. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is expected to arrive in Quito on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in the fight against transnational criminal organizations.
Fishermen and family members also denounce alleged attacks on three other vessels near the Galapagos Islands, including one in which eight fishermen disappeared in January, which were not acknowledged by either the United States or Ecuador. According to the Washington Post, these three attacks were part of a secret CIA operation, independent of the anti-drug trafficking campaign the US has been waging since September of last year, and organizations such as Amnesty International have requested that the alleged US involvement in this case be investigated.
