{"id":2653926,"date":"2026-09-03T03:18:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T07:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-southern-command-sinks-refueling-vessel-linked-to-los-choneros-terrorist-organization\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T03:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T07:22:56","slug":"us-southern-command-sinks-refueling-vessel-linked-to-los-choneros-terrorist-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-southern-command-sinks-refueling-vessel-linked-to-los-choneros-terrorist-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"US Southern Command sinks refueling vessel linked to Los Choneros terrorist organization"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-southern-command-sinks-refueling-vessel-linked-to-los-choneros-terrorist-organization%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2653926&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The United States military sank a refueling vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that was linked to the Los Choneros terrorist institution. This action was part of the U.S. Southern Command&#8217;s efforts to disrupt narco-trafficking operations originating from South America. Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio intercepted and inspected the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kelly-second-strike-on-suspected-drug-boat-survivors-not-lawful\/\" title=\"Kelly: Second strike on suspected ... boat survivors &#039;not lawful&#039;\">suspected drug-trafficking boat<\/a>, detaining its crew and then sinking the vessel without incident.The operation was carried out in collaboration with Ecuador, the vessel\u2019s country of origin, and the crew was transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. The sinking of the ship hampers the trafficking network, which supports illicit at-sea drug trafficking and is associated with the violent criminal syndicate Los Choneros, known for drug, arms, kidnapping, and extortion activities throughout South America. Los Choneros, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2025, originated in Ecuador in the 1990s and has grown into a notable criminal enterprise.The U.S. emphasized that this operation demonstrates their commitment to dismantling drug cartels and eradicating their logistics networks in the region. The military&#8217;s actions received praise from U.S. officials as a vital step in disrupting criminal networks involved in drug trafficking and violence throughout the Western Hemisphere.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States military sank a refueling vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that was allegedly linked to the Los Choneros terrorist organization. It was the latest effort by the U.S. Southern Command to disrupt the narco-trafficking operations originating from South America. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southcom.mil\/News\/PressReleases\/Article\/4589814\/interdiction-of-narco-terrorist-refueling-vessel-sept-2-2026\/\">stopped the suspected drug-trafficking boat<\/a> operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean before boarding and inspecting it. The ship\u2019s crew was apprehended, and the vessel was cleared \u201cwithout incident.\u201d U.S. military forces then sank the vessel.   <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4711258\/southern-command-sinks-refueling-vessel-los-choneros-terrorist-organization\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US Southern Command sinks refueling vessel linked to Los Choneros terrorist organization<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4710772\/budget-committee-weigh-fiscal-commission-wrangle-40-trillion-debt\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Budget Committee to weigh fiscal commission to wrangle $40 trillion debt<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4709521\/us-mint-commemorative-trump-1-coin\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US Mint releases commemorative Trump $1 coin for purchase<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Southern Command announced the action against the floating refueling station in a press release on Wednesday. The operation was a collaborative effort between U.S. forces and the government of Ecuador, the country of origin of Los Choneros. The fueling station\u2019s ship\u2019s crew was \u201csafely transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJoint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) successfully interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific,\u201d read the release. \u201cIntelligence confirmed the vessel was operating in support of the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Southern Command said that the sinking of the refueling ship was a significant detriment to the \u201ctraffickers\u2019 logistics chain,\u201d eliminating a \u201ccritical node\u201d of \u201cillicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los Choneros originated in the 1990s in Ecuador and grew into the large, dangerous criminal syndicate it is today. The organization is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/insightcrime.org\/ecuador-organized-crime-news\/los-choneros\/\">known<\/a> to regularly traffic cocaine into the U.S. as well as wreaking havoc in Ecuador and other parts of South America, including other drug trafficking efforts, arms trafficking, kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion, among other crimes. In September 2025, the Trump administration <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/releases\/office-of-the-spokesperson\/2025\/09\/terrorist-designations-of-los-choneros-and-los-lobos\">designated<\/a> Los Choneros as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe United States, in partnership with Ecuador and its President Daniel Noboa, will continue to protect our two nations by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >revenue streams funding drug cartels\u2019 terrorism<\/a> and criminal activity,\u201d the State Department announced at the time.\u202f\u201dToday\u2019s action further demonstrates the Trump administration\u2019s unwavering commitment to eliminating cartels and ensuring the safety of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4711203\/ice-record-august-illegal-immigrants-arrests\/\"><strong>ICE SETS NEW MONTHLY RECORD IN AUGUST WITH MOST-EVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Southern Command\u2019s efforts to sink the refueling ship were applauded and hailed as a critical action to eradicate drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, which originate from South America. U.S. Southern Command Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan called it an example of the \u201celite capabilities and precision of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are taking decisive action to dismantle and destroy sophisticated logistics networks used by narco-terrorists to traffic drugs and spread violence throughout the Western Hemisphere,\u201d said Donovan. \u201cThis operation demonstrated the elite capabilities and precision of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, which is on watch in the region to apply total systemic friction on these networks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US sank vessel linked to Los Choneros in Pacific<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2653927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-2.32.55-AM-e1788417336235.png?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[85056,85055,85054],"class_list":["post-2653926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-los-choneros","tag-refueling-vessel","tag-us-southern-command-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-2.32.55-AM-e1788417336235.png?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653926"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2653930,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653926\/revisions\/2653930"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}