U.S. Forces Sink Los Choneros Drug Refueling Vessel

U.S. military forces destroyed a floating refueling station used by the Los Choneros drug-trafficking organization in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific on Friday, August 29, 2026. Directed by General Francis L. Donovan, the operation involved Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio under Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere. The crew was removed and transported to Ecuador before the vessel was destroyed by an airstrike.

U.S. Southern Command identified the ship as a critical logistics hub that provided fuel to trafficking vessels operating far from shore. The vessel had previously been targeted under Treasury Department sanctions. This operation marks the first time since September 2025 that the U.S. military destroyed a suspected trafficking vessel without causing casualties.

The action is part of a broader campaign initiated nearly a year ago by the Trump administration targeting narco-terrorists in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. To date, the U.S. military has conducted 68 boat strikes resulting in at least 227 deaths. This campaign has been condemned by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and United Nations experts as a series of extrajudicial executions and a violation of international law.

Los Choneros is an Ecuadorian criminal organization designated by the U.S. as a violent narco-terrorist group. Its former leader, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, was extradited to the United States in July 2025 and is currently awaiting trial.