US Navy Sinks Fourth Ecuadorian Vessel Over Alleged Drug Trafficking Links
- The United States military sank a fourth Ecuadorian-flagged vessel off the coast of Ecuador on Sept.
- The latest maritime strike followed an operation publicized by the United States Southern Command on the social media platform X.
- forces secured the primary ship and removed the crew before sinking the vessel alongside its auxiliary craft, the U.S.
The United States military sank a fourth Ecuadorian-flagged vessel off the coast of Ecuador on Sept. 5, 2026, during a joint counter-narcotics operation that has drawn sharp criticism from local fishing communities, according to reports from Agence France-Presse published by Le Monde.
The latest maritime strike followed an operation publicized by the United States Southern Command on the social media platform X. According to the U.S. military, the targeted vessel and its attached support boats operated in support of Los Choneros, an armed organization designated by Washington as a violent narcoterrorist group.
Military Operations and Crew Detentions
U.S. forces secured the primary ship and removed the crew before sinking the vessel alongside its auxiliary craft, the U.S. Southern Command stated. The Ecuadorian navy confirmed that it took custody of 26 crew members from a boat identified as the Maria-Candelaria, transporting them toward the southwestern port of Manta.
https://x.com/Southcom/status/2096376737458487609
The legal fallout from these maritime strikes has already seen detained sailors released without formal charges. In Manta, the crews of two other vessels sunk by U.S. forces earlier in the week arrived at a police station on Sept. 4, 2026, and were subsequently freed by a judge the following day without being inculpated.
Local Protests Over Fishing Industry Impact
Local fishing representatives have strongly condemned the U.S. military campaign, arguing that enforcement actions are conflating legitimate maritime labor with criminal enterprises. César Delgado, a fishing sector representative in Manta, said that authorities are criminalizing fishing activities, with the U.S. navy considering any fisherman on a fishing campaign as a potential criminal.
Crews aboard all four destroyed Ecuadorian-flagged ships have denied any involvement in drug trafficking. In July, the nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch reported that U.S. forces had attacked three other boats off the coast of Ecuador, leaving at least eight people missing—an allegation that Washington has denied.
Broader Regional Alliances
The joint operations operate under the administration of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has pursued an aggressive domestic campaign against drug cartels. As part of this security strategy, Ecuador joined the Bouclier des Amériques, a U.S.-led antidrug coalition comprising approximately 20 nations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
