Ecuador has defended recent U.S. operations that intercepted and sank three Ecuadorian vessels in the eastern Pacific, saying the actions were part of a joint investigation targeting maritime drug-trafficking activities. Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg said the vessels were allegedly used as floating refueling stations supporting speedboats transporting drugs toward Mexico and the United States.

According to Ecuadorian authorities and U.S. Southern Command, the vessels were allegedly connected to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal organization. U.S. military footage showed personnel boarding and searching at least one vessel before it was sunk. The U.S. Southern Command said the vessels were being used to support drug-trafficking operations, although some details of the military footage could not be independently verified.

The operation has also prompted conflicting accounts from relatives of some of the detained crew members. Family members said the men were fishermen and disputed allegations that the vessels were involved in drug trafficking. One relative said no drugs were found aboard the vessel and alleged that the boat was operating in Ecuadorian waters. These claims have not been independently verified.

The Ecuadorian Navy confirmed that 28 crew members from two of the vessels had returned to Manta, while another eight were reportedly on their way. The incidents come amid expanded U.S.-Ecuador cooperation against maritime drug trafficking in the region and have drawn concerns from rights groups and some relatives over the use of lethal force at sea. Authorities have not publicly resolved all of the competing accounts surrounding the operations.