QUITO, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Ecuador defended U.S. actions on Friday after three Ecuadorean fishing boats were intercepted and sunk earlier this week. Family members of some crew members claim that the men were fishermen and accused the U.S. of acting without proper evidence.
This incident is part of a larger U.S. effort against drug trafficking at sea in the eastern Pacific, which has raised concerns among rights organizations and in Latin America due to the use of deadly force in these operations.
Family members disputed the official narrative. Rosalba, a 47-year-old woman who did not provide her last name, spoke by phone and stated that her husband and the others were fishing when they were boarded, and she insisted that no drugs were found on their boat.
“I don’t understand why the U.S. government has to act in such a random way,” she said, accusing them of violating the fishermen's human rights.
She also claimed that their vessel was only carrying fish and alleged it was in Ecuadorean waters, not international waters. Reuters has not been able to verify her claims independently.
The Ecuadorean government stated that the U.S. operation was based on joint investigations focusing on drug smuggling networks connected to criminal organizations.
“This is a collaborative effort of international cooperation,” said Interior Minister John Reimberg in an interview with Teleamazonas. He added that the boats acted as floating refueling stations aiding speedboats in transporting drugs northward to Mexico and the United States.
The U.S. Southern Command claimed that the vessels sunk this week were being utilized as refueling stations for drug traffic and were associated with the Los Choneros gang. Military footage showed operatives approaching and boarding a vessel before it was destroyed at sea. Reuters could not confirm the date and location of the video independently.
The Ecuadorean Navy reported that 28 crew members from two of the vessels – nine from the Conquista II and 19 from the OM2 – successfully returned to Manta by coast guard vessel at 3 p.m. local time. An additional eight crew members from the Conquista II are still on their way back aboard another vessel.