Ecuador Defends U.S. Sinking Three Vessels

U.S. forces sank three Ecuadorian vessels in the eastern Pacific this week, with Ecuador saying the operations arose from joint investigations targeting maritime drug-trafficking networks linked to the Los Choneros gang. Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg described the boats as floating refueling stations for speedboats carrying drugs north toward Mexico and the United States, while U.S. Southern Command said its forces boarded and cleared the vessels before destroying them. Relatives of crew members disputed the account, saying the men were ordinary fishermen, that no drugs were found aboard at least one boat, and that the vessel was attacked in Ecuadorian territorial waters. The sinkings are part of an expanding U.S. campaign against suspected maritime traffickers, backed by current President Donald Trump and increasingly supported by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, but the use of lethal force and the evidence supporting the strikes have drawn criticism and raised concerns about Ecuador’s role.