Rubio met with Ecuador's President with US President was increasingly working with Noboa's government to crack down on drug trafficking organisations, including with joint strikes on boats believed to be used by drug smugglers.
"These are not ordinary groups. Clearly, they engage in common
Rubio on Wednesday designated the Ecuador-based gang organisation, after similar designations were made against two other Ecuador-based gangs last year. The State Department said the group was linked to narcotrafficking and other illicit activity, including the live takeover of an Ecuadorian TV station in 2024. Read more on seven former Ecuadorian officials involved in bribery. The Trump administration would ask Congress for $45 million to fund new commitments for Ecuador, as well as a $10 million initiative targeting illegal gold mining, , and said decisions on targeting were made on a"strike-by-strike" basis and with the cooperation of Ecuador. "Our goal is not to go after fishermen. Our goal is to go after
The sinkings are the latest in a broader groups and some Latin American leaders who call the strikes extrajudicial killings. Though the US government has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks as part of Southern Spear, it has not claimed three others this year which bear the hallmarks of US strikes, involving fishing vessels from Ecuador's Manabi province. In those incidents crew members, including some interviewed by Reuters, say their vessels were hit with strikes. One boat disappeared, the crews of the other two were repatriated via
