U.S. forces near Ecuador intercepted and destroyed several vessels believed to be used for refueling boats smuggling drugs to the United States. This operation marks the fourth instance of targeting floating refueling platforms in the eastern Pacific.
No casualties occurred during the mission, according to a U.S. official. The action is part of U.S. Southern Command’s ongoing efforts to thwart narcotics smugglers in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, a campaign initiated over a year ago.
A video shared by the command shows a U.S. military vessel, an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat, approaching a larger civilian craft loaded with fuel jugs. A Marine Corps helicopter hovered nearby. The footage ends with the larger vessel’s bow exploding.
Individuals aboard the refueling vessel were handed over to Ecuadorean government officials participating in the operation. The U.S.S. San Antonio, an amphibious ship, supported the mission by deploying helicopters to fire munitions at accompanying vessels, sinking them.
Southern Command, located in South Florida, identified Los Choneros as operating the refueling station. The State Department designated this group a “foreign terrorist organization” shortly after the campaign against suspected smuggling vessels began on September 2, 2025.
Since the campaign’s inception, the U.S. military has launched 68 attacks on vessels suspected of drug smuggling, resulting in 227 fatalities, as analyzed by The New York Times.
John Ismay, a reporter for The Times, covers the Pentagon, drawing on his experience as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy.