SOUTHCOM Interdicts and Sinks Eastern Pacific Vessel the Command Tied to Los Choneros

People taken off the vessel will be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities, the command said. After the crew left and the vessel was cleared, U.S. forces sank it.

EASTERN PACIFIC — U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere forces on September 7 interdicted a vessel the command described as a floating refueling station supporting at-sea drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.

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The command said its intelligence tied the vessel to Los Choneros, which the U.S. Department of State designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist in September 2025.

People taken off the vessel will be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities, the command said. After the crew left and the vessel was cleared, U.S. forces sank it.

Partner port in Ecuador. Credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

The notice did not name the vessel, give a crew count, publish coordinates, or state whether the boarding occurred in international waters.