Ecuadorian fishers caught between cartel extortion and U.S. drone strikes

In the coastal towns of San Mateo and Jaramijo, small-scale fishers are being squeezed by powerful drug cartels that demand $1,200 “fees” per outing or threaten retaliation, while offering up to $40,000 for each cocaine shipment they transport. Simultaneously, the U.S. military’s Operation Southern Spear has targeted vessels in the eastern Pacific, reporting 67 boat destructions and more than 220 deaths since last September.

Survivors of two drone strikes on the fishing boats Negra Francisca Duarte II and Don Maca recount being boarded by armed men, hooded, and handed over to a Salvadoran navy vessel before being flown home. Authorities in the United States, Ecuador and El Salvador say they are expanding joint counter-narcotics efforts, but the U.S. Southern Command declined to discuss the incidents, citing operational security. Ecuadorian police estimate hundreds of local residents have been imprisoned abroad on drug charges, and many families now keep their boats docked out of fear. Experts argue that destroying small fishing vessels will not curb cocaine flows, as larger commercial ships remain the primary transport route.