The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said that a “floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific” was intercepted and destroyed by U.S. forces on Monday.
\n\nSOUTHCOM said the action was taken by Joint Task Force – Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) based on intelligence that “confirmed the vessel’s involvement with the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization.”
\n\n“Individuals removed from the vessel will be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. After clearing the vessel and disembarking the crew, U.S. forces sank it,” the statement said.
\n\nJTF-WHEM is a new command that was activated by SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan in August 2026 to “counter threats, strengthen regional security, and respond rapidly to crises across the Western Hemisphere.”
\n\nMarine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard was selected as the first commander of JTF-WHEM. Jarrard’s previous assignment was leading disaster relief operations by the U.S. military after the June 2026 earthquake in Venezuela.
\n\nThe new joint task force was conceived as a larger, multinational successor to Operation Southern Spear, the seaborne drug interdiction effort that began in January 2025 and was expanded into a joint task force operation in November 2025.
\n\nLos Choneros is an Ecuadoran organized crime gang that began as…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/
