US Treasury sanctions Ecuador-to-US cocaine trafficking network

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned 15 people involved in a network allegedly shipping cocaine from Ecuador through Mexico to the U.S. The operation uses Ecuador-based fishing vessels to transfer cocaine to power boats heading northQUITO, Ecuador -- The U.S. Treasury on Thursday sanctioned 15 people for their involvement in a network that allegedly shipped thousands of kilograms of cocaine per month from Ecuador through Mexico, destined for the United States.The announcement comes as the U.S. has ramped up attacks against fishermen in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing more than 200, as part of the Trump administration's push to expand joint anti-drug trafficking operations in Latin America. “Operating under the guise of legitimate fishing businesses, a fleet of Ecuador-based vessels near Manta, Ecuador, secretly transfers cocaine to small power boats — known as go-fast vessels — that transit north through the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPAC), en route to the United States,” the Treasury Department said. The members targeted are allegedly part of Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two Ecuadorean gangs previously designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations. The drugs are then sm...