US Forces Destroy Drug Cartel Vessel in Pacific Operation

(Destroyed Ship. Photo by TRT World)

US military forces have destroyed a ship they said was helping drug traffickers move drugs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

On September 2, American Marines and sailors stopped, boarded and searched the vessel before sinking it in international waters.

Military officials said the ship was a floating refueling station used by a drug gang called Los Choneros to support their illegal operations at sea.

The operation was done with help from Ecuador and involved commanders from the Southern Command, which oversees US military operations in the region.

Military personnel safely removed people from the ship and handed them over to Ecuadorian authorities before sinking the vessel.

Officials said destroying this ship cuts off an important supply point for the drug traffickers' operations.

A top military commander said the operation shows the military's precision and capability in fighting drug trafficking networks in the region.

He stressed that the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition will continue taking aggressive action against drug gangs.

This operation is part of a broader campaign by the US administration to dismantle trafficking networks linked to criminal cartels.

Over roughly a year, the military has carried out 68 strikes across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, resulting in at least 227 deaths among alleged drug traffickers.

Last week alone, a similar operation in the Caribbean killed four people the military said were involved in drug smuggling.

On Sept. 2, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, and in coordination and collaboration with the Government of Ecuador, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station in support… pic.twitter.com/io55pvWff0

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) September 2, 2026