Ecuador defended on Friday the operations of USA in which three Ecuadorian vessels were intercepted and sunk last week, while relatives of some crew members claimed that the men were fishermen and accused Washington of acting without evidence.
This episode is the latest in a growing US campaign against maritime drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, which has drawn criticism from human rights groups and concern in Latin America over the use of lethal force at sea.
Family members questioned the official version. The wife of one of the crew members, who identified herself as Rosalba47 years old and without providing his last name, said by phone that the men were fishing when they were approached and that no drugs were found on board.
“I don’t understand why the government of USA It has to come in that arbitrary way,” he said, accusing that the human rights of the fishermen were violated.
He stated that the vessel was only transporting fish and maintained that it was attacked in Ecuadorian waters, not international waters. Reuters was unable to independently verify his version of events.
The government of Ecuador reported that the operation was the result of joint investigations with Washington aimed at dismantling drug smuggling logistics linked to criminal gangs.
He United States Southern Command reported that the boats sunk this week were used as resupply points for drug trafficking and were linked to the Los Choneros gang.
“This is a job that is done with international cooperation“said the Minister of the Interior, John Reimbergto the local channel Teleamazonas. “It is not an issue that is acted upon lightly, or the first time something suspicious is seen.”
“These are investigations that are carried out with the United States precisely to find out what these vessels are doing, the logistics they are doing to then obviously affect the shipment of drugs,” he added.
Reimberg He explained that this type of boat has been used as part of the logistics of drug trafficking groups so that smaller ones, known as speedboats, transport drugs to Mexican ports and then to the United States.
A video released by Southern Command showed black and white images of troops approaching and boarding a boat before it was blown up at sea. Reuters was unable to independently verify the date or location of the images.
The Ecuadorian Navy reported that 28 crew members from two vessels, nine from the “Conquista II” and 19 from the “OM2”, arrived in Manta at 3:00 p.m. local time aboard one of its coast guard vessels. Another eight crew members of the “Conquista II” were still returning to port in another boat.
