U.S. Southern Command on Thursday said it sank an alleged refueling station operating in support of the Los Choneros narco-terrorist organization.
Sailors with Littoral Combat Force 24 aboard the USS San Antonio stopped, boarded, searched, and cleared the vessel, arresting the individuals aboard before sinking the boat. The operation was done in coordination with the government of Ecuador, to which the boat’s operators were turned over.
Recommended Stories
“This interdiction cuts off a critical node in the traffickers’ logistics chain and advances the goals of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) and [Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere] to dismantle narco-terrorist networks,” SOUTHCOM said. “The [Department of War] and the A3C remain unwavering in their mission to defeat narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere and defend our homeland.”
The command said the boat was operating in the eastern Pacific and functioned as “a floating refueling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters,” which intelligence later confirmed was Los Choneros. SOUTHCOM said the operation was conducted “without incident.”
Thursday’s operation marks the second of the week, as the day prior SOUTHCOM said it sank a separate refueling station. Following the strike, the command said the sinking of the refueling ship was a significant hit to the “traffickers’ logistics chain,” eliminating a critical aspect of the operation.
HERE’S WHO’S LEFT IN GUANTANAMO BAY
Los Choneros began in Ecuador in the 1990s and expanded into the large criminal organization it is today. The organization is known to regularly traffic cocaine into the United States as well as cause devastation in Ecuador and other parts of South America. In September 2025, the Trump administration designated Los Choneros as a foreign terrorist organization and as a specially designated global terrorist.
Footage of Thursday’s operation shows U.S. forces boarding the vessel in choppy waters. A second clip shows the refueling boat being blown to pieces.
