28 Crew Members Released After U.S. Forces Intercepted and Sank Two Boats Offshore

The 28 crew members from two boats intercepted and sunk by U.S. forces in the Pacific were released on Saturday after arriving in Manta the previous day. The operation took place in coordination with Ecuador’s government and was based on alleged links to Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s oldest criminal groups.

Fernando Bastidas, a lawyer with the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Guayaquil, said his organization filed a habeas corpus petition for the nine people aboard the Conquista II. He said the judge heard the arguments, ordered an evidentiary period and requested information from the Navy, the Defense Ministry and the U.S. government through Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry.

“

The judge listened to the arguments, ordered an evidentiary period and requested information from the Navy, the Defense Ministry and also the Government of the United States, through the Foreign Ministry, to find out what happened on Sept. 2 because at the hearing neither the Interior Ministry nor the Navy explained why the interception took place.

The requests aim to clarify what happened on Sept. 2. Bastidas said neither the Interior Ministry nor the Navy explained during the hearing why the boat had been intercepted. He said a similar issue arose during the parallel hearing for the nine Conquista II crew members and the 19 people aboard the OM2.

According to Bastidas, the prosecutor could not demonstrate to the judge that there were grounds to suspect a crime. The 28 people were therefore released, but the habeas corpus case will continue to establish responsibility for what the lawyer called “forced disappearance” and to stop what he described as an offshore practice.

“

The prosecutor could not demonstrate to the judge that there were suspicions that any crime had been committed.

Bastidas said forced disappearance can be brief, noting that the fishermen were intercepted on Sept. 2 and that information only emerged the next day that the coast guard was going to retrieve them. He also said 17 people had been aboard the Conquista II and that eight remained missing, although the Navy said Friday they were traveling to port on another vessel.

“

Forced disappearance can be brief, and the fishermen were intercepted on Sept. 2, with information only emerging on Sept. 3 that the coast guard was going to retrieve them and bring them back.

The U.S. Southern Command alleged that the boats served as floating refueling stations supporting Los Choneros’ drug-trafficking operations. Interior Minister John Reimberg said smaller boats loaded with drugs would tie up to such vessels before heading toward Mexican ports and then the United States. Relatives rejected the accusation, saying the detainees were fishermen.

Another boat, the María Candelaria, was intercepted offshore by U.S. military personnel on Saturday, according to video broadcast by one of its crew members on social media. The report says the vessel was allegedly linked to Los Choneros and used as a logistical platform, but the supplied text ends before the allegation is completed.

“

These are boats that have been used as logistics for other small boats that begin to tie up, loaded with drugs, and then leave for Mexican ports and later go to the United States.