US Sanctions Ecuador Fishing Fleet and Deploys Naval Patrols

The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned 10 fishing vessels and 15 individuals and entities involved in a cocaine trafficking network based in Manta, Ecuador. The network, affiliated with the Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs, used commercial fishing businesses as cover to transport 30 to 40 tonnes of cocaine monthly to Central America and Mexico. From there, the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion moved the drugs into the United States.

Sanctioned targets include the family fishing business Arcasdenoe S.A. and its operators, Alfonso Mero Mero and his sons. The fleet provided fuel, food, and medical services to go-fast power boats and monitored law enforcement activity to facilitate drug transfers. One vessel was accused of direct transport, while others were designated as blocked property for providing logistics support in the Pacific Ocean.

In a simultaneous security escalation, Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo announced that two U.S. warships and three Black Hawk helicopters will patrol Ecuadorian territorial waters. This deployment follows a meeting with U.S. Southern Command and is intended to triple maritime interdiction capabilities. These actions align with a broader increase in U.S. military force against trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where operations have seized over 225,000 pounds of cocaine since mid-2025.