U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) continues to eradicate maritime drug trafficking as part of a massive crackdown on cartel crime in the Western Hemisphere.
The Los Choneros narco-terrorists were using the maritime refueling station as part of their network to carry out their deadly criminal activities, according to SOUTHCOM on Monday. While U.S. Central Command attracts most of the attention and glory right now because of the Iranian conflict, the U.S. military in this half of the world is also engaged in important operations. Criminal cartels and their drug trafficking operations have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans.
On Sept. 7, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) forces successfully interdicted a floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.
Intelligence confirmed the vessel's… pic.twitter.com/nfGfy8KTUY
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) September 7, 2026
The SOUTHCOM post said that Ecuadorian authorities will be taking charge of the individuals whom U.S. forces removed from the refueling station.
The official post from Southern Command ended, “After clearing the vessel and disembarking the crew, U.S. forces sank it. JTF-WHEM continues to conduct precise and professional operations to dismantle the logistical networks fueling narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.”
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At the height of the Biden-Harris border crisis in 2023, when open borders helped the cartels’ drug trafficking business to boom, an estimated 110,037 Americans died from drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the last year of the Biden administration, in 2024, federal officials were very proud of the fact that drug overdose deaths dropped to an estimated 80,391. That is still a horrifying statistic, however.
In 2025, the first year of the second Trump administration, an estimated 69,973 Americans died from drug overdoses. Again, this is a major drop, but obviously still not enough. Every single person who dies of a drug overdose is a unique individual, not merely a statistic. So the Trump administration continues to target drug trafficking criminal organizations in coordination with regional partners in multiple South American countries.
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SOUTHCOM is focused on dismantling cartel networks. In a separate post from the one above, SOUTHCOM stated, “U.S. military forces are deployed to the #SOUTHCOM area of responsibility in support of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, [Department of War]-directed operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland through continuous presence.”
We are grateful to all of the American military personnel who keep us safe from all the terrorists and criminals so close to our borders or even operating within them. SOUTHCOM is engaged in vitally important work.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to renew America in this 250th birthday year.
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