US Military Boat Strike Ecuador Sinks Third Drug Gang Vessel

US: The US military boat strike Ecuador carried out this week has sunk a third vessel in just seven days. Southern Command said the boat was acting as a fuel stop for drug runners in the Eastern Pacific.

Officials said the vessel had ties to Los Choneros, a violent gang from Ecuador known for working with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. People aboard the boat were pulled to safety and handed over to Ecuadoran authorities before it was destroyed.

This strike came just a day after another boat was hit in a similar operation. Ecuador’s Navy confirmed it took in 28 crew members from the two most recent strikes combined.

Families in the port city of Manta waited anxiously for news of loved ones believed to be on the targeted boats. One woman said her husband, a boat captain, was found safe and is on his way home.

Not everyone has had good news, though. Several families are still searching for eight fishermen who went missing earlier this year. They believe US military activity played a role, a claim Washington has denied.

Local fishermen say fear has taken over their daily lives. Many have stopped going out to sea, worried they could be mistaken for smugglers. President Trump’s administration has not shared clear proof tying the sunken boats to drug trafficking, yet Ecuador’s government continues to back the strikes as part of a wider anti-gang effort.