U.S. Southern Command announced Tuesday that American forces sank a vessel functioning as a floating refueling station linked to drug trafficking operations.
“On September 8, under SOUTHCOM direction, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere forces successfully interdicted a floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific,” SOUTHCOM stated on X.
Intelligence confirmed the vessel’s involvement with the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization. Individuals removed from the vessel were transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. After clearing the vessel and disembarking the crew, U.S. forces sank it.
U.S. Southern Command released video footage of the sinking on September 8, 2026.
“JTF-WHEM continues to conduct precise and professional operations to dismantle the logistical networks fueling narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere,” SOUTHCOM added.
The operation marked the latest in a series of similar sinkings targeting vessels serving as refueling stations for Los Choneros, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“The Ecuador-based gang Los Choneros is a major driver of destabilizing violence in Ecuador,” according to a counterterrorism guide.
“Los Choneros engages in a range of violent and criminal activities, including hired killings; kidnappings; political assassinations; and the smuggling of weapons, explosives, and drugs,” the document notes.
“Los Choneros uses prisons and illegal gold mines as operational bases and cooperates with the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel and with Albanian cartels to facilitate drug shipments globally,” the guide states.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
