Families of 28 detained Ecuadorian crew dispute SOUTHCOM's 'narco refueling station' identification of sunk fishing boats

Crew and families of three artisanal fishing boats SOUTHCOM destroyed as alleged Los Choneros 'floating refueling stations' — Los Tres Hermanos (sunk 28 August, 40nm off Ecuador), Conquista II (sunk 2 September, 244nm off Manta) and OM2 (sunk 3 September, ~83nm off Manta) — publicly disputed the narco-trafficking characterization, saying the vessels were engaged in ordinary artisanal fishing. Twenty-eight crew members from the Conquista II and OM2 arrived in Manta on 4 September in Ecuadorian Navy custody, handcuffed, after the joint at-sea operations with US forces; no charges have been filed against any of them. Ecuadorian reporting noted at least two of the interceptions occurred within Ecuador's exclusive economic zone rather than international waters, and neither SOUTHCOM nor the Pentagon has published evidence — such as seized narcotics or fuel-transfer documentation — tying any of the three vessels to trafficking. Families in Manta's fishing community requested urgent dialogue with the Ecuadorian government. The dispute echoes the unresolved allegations of a separate CIA covert program that struck three other Ecuadorian fishing vessels earlier in 2026.