U.S. Southern Command (SOCOM) announced that American military forces, working in coordination with Ecuadorian officials, boarded and subsequently destroyed a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday. The ship was reportedly operating in international waters and served as a mobile, ship-to-ship refueling station for boats involved in drug trafficking activities linked to the Los Choneros organization.
Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio executed the boarding operation, clearing the vessel without encountering resistance. Following the removal of all individuals on board, who were then transferred to Ecuadorian custody, the U.S. military utilized an airstrike to scuttle the ship. SOCOM released video footage documenting the destruction of the vessel.
General Francis L. Donovan, commander of SOCOM, described the operation as a significant demonstration of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition’s effectiveness. He stated that the mission successfully dismantled clandestine narco-terrorist logistics, noting that the coalition is focused on preventing dangerous narcotics from reaching American communities. He added that severing such maritime nodes is essential to disrupting the broader supply networks fueling cartels throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The Los Choneros gang has been a primary target for Ecuadorian authorities for years. The organization, which takes its name from the city of Chone, was long led by José Adolfo Macías Villamar. Following his escape from prison in 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, Ecuador experienced a surge in violent gang conflicts in Quito, Guayaquil, and Nobol. The unrest included a high-profile incident where gunmen invaded a television studio during a live broadcast, prompting President Daniel Noboa to deploy the military to restore order.
Macías was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on weapons and drug charges in April 2025. He was apprehended two months later and extradited to the United States in July 2025, where he remains in custody awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges of importing large quantities of cocaine.
This mission is part of an ongoing U.S. campaign targeting alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The strike follows a similar engagement on Tuesday in the Caribbean that resulted in four fatalities. Since the U.S. military began targeting individuals identified as narcoterrorists nearly a year ago, there have been at least 68 strikes, resulting in at least 227 deaths.
Prior to Friday’s operation, the most recent strike against a suspected drug boat in the Pacific occurred on Sunday, which left two people dead. That incident marked the end of a two-month operational pause in the U.S. campaign against maritime smuggling routes. 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 the gang wars expanded to Guayaquil and the nearby town of Nobol. The report also notes that gunmen even stormed a studio in Guayaquil and fired off shots on live TV. The report also notes that new President Daniel Noboa was forced to call in the army to quell the violence. The report also notes that military attacks alleged drug-smuggling boat in Caribbean, killing 4.
