U.S. Military Intercepts Drug Smuggling Vessels in Pacific

On Saturday, U.S. forces operating near Ecuador conducted a mission targeting commercial vessels suspected of facilitating drug smuggling to the United States. The operation resulted in the interception and destruction of several vessels without any casualties.

This marks the fourth interception involving floating refueling platforms in the eastern Pacific. A U.S. official confirmed that the mission was executed successfully with no injuries on either side. This operation is part of U.S. Southern Command’s ongoing efforts that began over a year ago to disrupt narcotics smuggling across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

A video shared on social media by the command, overseeing military activities in Central and South America, illustrates the operation. The footage shows a U.S. military vessel, specifically an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat, approaching a larger civilian vessel equipped with fuel jugs on its raised deck. A Marine Corps helicopter is visible hovering beside the larger craft.

In the video, the inflatable boat exits the frame before the larger vessel’s bow explodes. The people aboard the refueling vessel were handed over to Ecuadorean officials, who were present during the operation. The official spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to discuss the mission publicly.

The operation was reinforced by the sailors and Marines on the amphibious ship U.S.S. San Antonio. The ship’s helicopters fired munitions at additional vessels, sinking them according to the official. The Southern Command, located in South Florida, reported that Los Choneros ran the refueling operations. The State Department designated this group as a “foreign terrorist organization” shortly after the anti-smuggling campaign commenced on September 2, 2025.

Since the start of this initiative, the U.S. military has executed 68 attacks on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the region, resulting in the deaths of 227 individuals, as reported by a New York Times analysis.

John Ismay, a Pentagon reporter for The Times, acknowledged this operation. Ismay has previous experience serving as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy.