U.S. sanctions 15 Ecuadorian actors and ten ships over maritime cocaine scheme

On Thursday, the Treasury Department sanctioned fifteen Ecuadorian persons and entities and ten vessels for participating in a maritime cocaine smuggling operation tied to the terrorist-designated groups Los Choneros and Los Lobos. According to officials, the network employed a fleet of seemingly legitimate fishing vessels based in Manta to transport thousands of kilograms of cocaine each month, supplying Mexican cartels such as the Sinaloa cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación for U.S. distribution.

Among those named are members of the Mero family, who ran the fishing company Arcasdenoe S.A. and coordinated logistical support for the shipments, as well as other Ecuadorian nationals linked to multiple front companies. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the designated parties and prohibit U.S. persons from dealing with them, with secondary penalties for foreign banks that facilitate prohibited transactions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures complement Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard-led campaign that has seized more than 225,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific to date. The move reflects coordinated efforts among the Homeland Security Task Force, DEA, U.S. Southern Command, Naval Intelligence and the Coast Guard, marking one of nearly 30 actions against cartel networks since early 2025.