U.S. Southern Command says American forces, operating alongside Ecuador, intercepted a vessel in international waters of the eastern Pacific on Wednesday that was allegedly being used as a floating refueling hub for drug-trafficking activity.
U.S. intelligence tied the vessel to Los Choneros, which SOUTHCOM described as a “violent narco-terrorist organization.” Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio boarded and secured the vessel without incident. Those on board were handed over to Ecuadorian authorities, and U.S. forces later struck and sank the vessel.
