Don Rufo: 10 of 16 crew go missing for two days after JTF-WHEM sinks sixth Ecuadorian vessel

On 8 September, JTF-WHEM intercepted and sank the fishing vessel Don Rufo in the Eastern Pacific roughly 327 nautical miles from Manta — the sixth Ecuadorian vessel SOUTHCOM has destroyed since 28 August and the ninth attacked in 2026. SOUTHCOM said the boat was a floating refueling station supporting Los Choneros narco-trafficking operations and that the crew was transferred to Ecuadorian authorities unharmed. Ecuador's own account showed only 6 of the 16 people aboard were handed over immediately; the other 10 had moved away from the interdiction site in five smaller boats, prompting a two-day Ecuadorian navy search-and-rescue operation. The navy located all 10 on 10 September aboard the vessel BAE Atahualpa. Two of the found crew members disputed the refueling-station characterization, saying the auxiliary diesel tank SOUTHCOM cited as evidence is standard equipment for the 2,000km round trips their fishing routes require. Visiting Quito the day after the strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked whether fishermen uninvolved in trafficking could be killed in these operations and said 'Here no one intends to kill fishermen.'