Watch: US Forces Sink Floating Refueling Vessel Linked To Drug Trafficking In Eastern Pacific

U.S. forces sank a floating vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Monday after authorities said it had been helping boats involved in maritime drug trafficking.

The operation targeted what U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) described as a fuel-support vessel connected to Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organisations.

Personnel aboard the vessel were taken off before the ship was sent to the bottom. The people removed from the vessel are expected to be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.

The mission was carried out by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM), which was activated by SOUTHCOM in August to deal with security threats and crises across the Western Hemisphere.

Vessel supplied boats operating at sea

Floating fuel vessels can support drug-running boats without requiring them to return to shore for fuel. That allows smaller vessels to remain at sea for longer periods and travel farther along trafficking routes.

Boats moving cocaine from South America toward Central America and Mexico depend on fuel and other supplies to cover those distances.

SOUTHCOM said intelligence had identified the vessel as part of Los Choneros’ maritime support network. The command also released video showing the U.S. operation.

SOUTHCOM said JTF-WHEM was continuing operations to disrupt the support systems used by drug traffickers in the region.

On Sept. 7, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) forces successfully interdicted a floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.

Intelligence confirmed the vessel’s… pic.twitter.com/nfGfy8KTUY

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) September 7, 2026

US targets similar vessels

The action follows two other operations reported by SOUTHCOM in recent days.

On Sept. 5, U.S. forces stopped a group of vessels that the military said was being used to provide fuel for Los Choneros-linked activity. People aboard were removed, after which the main vessel and attached support boats were sunk.

Two days earlier, on Sept. 2, U.S. forces also targeted a vessel that SOUTHCOM identified as a floating fuel station operating in international waters and supporting Los Choneros.

The repeated operations show that U.S. authorities are going after more than suspected drug-carrying boats. They are also targeting the vessels and equipment that help trafficking operations stay at sea.

Los Choneros has long been a major criminal force in Ecuador

Los Choneros emerged in the port city of Manta during the 1990s and later became deeply involved in Ecuador’s drug-trafficking networks.

As Ecuador grew into an important transit route for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, the group expanded its influence. Its activities have also included extortion, kidnapping and violence.

Former leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as “Fito,” became one of the country’s best-known crime figures.
Fito escaped from prison in early 2024, an event that was followed by a major security crisis in Ecuador.

Last week, the U.S. State Department designated Los Choneros as a foreign terrorist organisation. The department said members of the group had attacked or threatened public officials and their families, security forces, judges, prosecutors and journalists.

State Department deputy spokesperson Thomas Pigott said the group wants control of drug-trafficking routes through Ecuador and uses violence to pursue that objective.

Reference: US Southcom, fox news