The United States military sank a refueling vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that was allegedly linked to the Los Choneros terrorist organization. It was the latest effort by the U.S. Southern Command to disrupt the narco-trafficking operations originating from South America.
Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio stopped the suspected drug-trafficking boat operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean before boarding and inspecting it. The ship’s crew was apprehended, and the vessel was cleared “without incident.” U.S. military forces then sank the vessel.
Southern Command announced the action against the floating refueling station in a press release on Wednesday. The operation was a collaborative effort between U.S. forces and the government of Ecuador, the country of origin of Los Choneros. The fueling station’s ship’s crew was “safely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.”
“Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific,” read the release. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was operating in support of the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization.”
Southern Command said that the sinking of the refueling ship was a significant detriment to the “traffickers’ logistics chain,” eliminating a “critical node” of “illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific.”
Los Choneros originated in the 1990s in Ecuador and grew into the large, dangerous criminal syndicate it is today. The organization is known to regularly traffic cocaine into the U.S. as well as wreaking havoc in Ecuador and other parts of South America, including other drug trafficking efforts, arms trafficking, kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion, among other crimes. In September 2025, the Trump administration designated Los Choneros as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
“The United States, in partnership with Ecuador and its President Daniel Noboa, will continue to protect our two nations by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding drug cartels’ terrorism and criminal activity,” the State Department announced at the time. ”Today’s action further demonstrates the Trump administration’s unwavering commitment to eliminating cartels and ensuring the safety of the American people.”
ICE SETS NEW MONTHLY RECORD IN AUGUST WITH MOST-EVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED
Southern Command’s efforts to sink the refueling ship were applauded and hailed as a critical action to eradicate drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, which originate from South America. U.S. Southern Command Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan called it an example of the “elite capabilities and precision of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere.”
“We are taking decisive action to dismantle and destroy sophisticated logistics networks used by narco-terrorists to traffic drugs and spread violence throughout the Western Hemisphere,” said Donovan. “This operation demonstrated the elite capabilities and precision of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, which is on watch in the region to apply total systemic friction on these networks.”