US military forces have seized and sunk a vessel in the eastern Pacific that was allegedly being used in the interests of an Ecuadorian drug cartel, after detaining and inspecting its crew. The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated on the social media platform X that intelligence identified the vessel as operating along known drug trafficking routes and actively involved in suspected narco-trafficking operations. "By severing this critical maritime node, our Joint Force — spearheaded by the precision and professionalism of our Marines and Sailors of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere aboard USS San Antonio — fractured a primary artery of this illicit logistics chain and sent an unmistakable message to narco-terrorists across the region," the command said in a post on X.
According to the statement, the operation was carried out "in coordination and cooperation with the government of Ecuador." The Southern Command said the vessel had been operating as a floating refueling station and was used to support drug trafficking operations in international waters in the Pacific Ocean. The operation came as part of the Trump administration’s intensified military activity in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since last September in the name of combating narcotics trafficking. Here we are to serve you with news right now.
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