U.S. Commandos Join Ecuador Coastal Raid on Los Choneros Hub
CBS reports that U.S. special operations commandos have recently accompanied Ecuadorian troops in a coastal raid on a compound believed to be a staging hub for high‑speed boats tied to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian group the U.S. has designated both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The joint mission, called Operation Lanza Marina, is part of a broader U.S.-Ecuador campaign launched in early March 2026 against "designated terrorist organizations" and maritime trafficking networks. Two U.S. officials say American forces served in an advisory and accompanying role under authorities such as 10 U.S.C. §127e, even as the Trump administration has loosened constraints on airstrikes and raids outside declared war zones. Since September 2025, U.S. unilateral strikes on suspected drug‑smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have hit at least 47 vessels and killed about 163 people, raising quiet concerns among some observers about transparency and oversight. The article underscores how counter‑narcotics, counter‑terrorism, and security‑cooperation programs are blurring into forward U.S. special-operations deployments in Latin America, with limited public acknowledgment from the Pentagon or U.S. Southern Command.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. commandos recently joined Ecuadorian troops in Operation Lanza Marina against a suspected Los Choneros coastal compound used for high‑speed smuggling boats.
- American forces operated in an advisory and accompanying role, under authorities including 10 U.S.C. §127e for supporting foreign partners against terrorism.
- Since September 2025, U.S. strikes on suspected drug‑smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have conducted at least 47 strikes, killing about 163 people.
- Los Choneros has been designated as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity by the Treasury Department.
📊 Relevant Data
Ecuador's homicide rate surged from 13.7 per 100,000 people in 2021 to 25.9 in 2022 and further to about 45 in 2023, driven largely by organized crime violence involving groups like Los Choneros.
World Report 2024: Ecuador — Human Rights Watch
More than 70% of Ecuador's 18 million inhabitants were exposed to organized crime violence in 2025, the highest rate in Latin America, amid rising gang activities including those by Los Choneros.
Pressure rises on Ecuador's government to rein in escalating gang violence — ACLED
In 2023, the drug overdose death rate for Black individuals in the U.S. was 33% higher than for White individuals, with rates at approximately 50.4 per 100,000 for Black people compared to 37.9 for White people.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Effects of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs on Opioid Overdoses — Milbank Quarterly
Drug overdose death rates in the U.S. declined by varying amounts by race and ethnicity from 2023 to 2024, with declines ranging from 28% among American Indian or Alaska Native people to 39% among Black people.
Opioid Overdose Deaths: National Trends and Variation by Demographics and States — KFF
The rise of Los Choneros and associated violence in Ecuador accelerated after the 2020 assassination of their leader, leading to a split and increased gang conflicts, compounded by shifts in drug trafficking routes from Colombia.
Paradise Lost? Ecuador's Battle with Organised Crime — International Crisis Group
Ecuador has become a primary transit country for cocaine destined for the U.S. and Europe, with seizures in Ecuadorian ports increasing significantly in recent years, accounting for a substantial portion of global cocaine flows.
World Drug Report 2025 - Maps — UNODC
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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