CIA Conducted Secret Drone Strikes on Ecuadorian Fishing Boats

The Central Intelligence Agency carried out a series of secret, presidentially approved covert strikes against Ecuadorian fishing boats near the Galápagos Islands in January and March 2026. The operations involved quadcopter drones dropping explosives and armed, English-speaking personnel wearing uniforms with American flag patches who detained survivors. In one January 20 attack, the vessel Fiorella disappeared with eight crew members presumed dead; two other boats were targeted in March.

Survivors report being abducted at gunpoint, tortured, and transported to El Salvador before being handed over to the Salvadoran navy or repatriated to Ecuador. Investigations linked the strikes to a Cessna Citation Longitude aircraft, call sign FENIX 701, which operated from Ilopango airport in El Salvador under a fictitious U.S. registration. The aircraft was tracked flying between Tennessee, Texas, and El Salvador.

These operations are distinct from Operation Southern Spear, the Trump administration's public campaign against narco-terrorism. While the U.S. government has not provided evidence that the targeted fishing boats were carrying drugs, the United States Department of Defense has denied any involvement in the incidents. Efforts to investigate the attacks were further complicated in June when the Ecuadorian prosecutor assigned to the case was shot and killed.