Ecuador defends US sinking of vessels as joint anti-drug operation

Relatives of detained crew say US forces acted without evidence, claiming the men were fishermen, not smugglers.Published On 5 Sep 20265 Sep 2026Ecuador has defended a US operation this week that sank three vessels accused of sustaining drug-trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.Ecuador’s government said on Friday the interception and sinking of the Ecuadorian vessels were part of joint investigations ⁠with Washington targeting drug-smuggling activities linked to criminal gangs.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US strike on an alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific kills twolist 2 of 4Civilians faced attacks, abuse in joint US-Ecuador operations, HRW sayslist 3 of 4US military says strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat kills twolist 4 of 4A year into Trump’s boat strike campaign, families search for answersend of listEcuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg told broadcaster Teleamazonas the vessels were refueling points for speedboats that move drugs north towards Mexico and the United States.“This is ⁠work carried out through international cooperation,” Reimberg said.The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reiterated Reimberg’s claim, saying it “successfully interdi...