Quito.- The 28 crew members of two vessels that were intercepted and sunk by U.S. forces in Pacific waters, in coordination with the Ecuadorian government, for allegedly being linked to the criminal group Los Choneros, were released this Saturday after arriving in the city of Manta on Friday.
Lawyer Fernando Bastidas, from the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights of Guayaquil (CDH), indicated to EFE that they filed a habeas corpus for the nine people belonging to the Conquista II vessel.
“The judge heard the arguments, ordered a trial period, and requested information from the Navy, the Ministry of Defense, and also the United States Government, through the Foreign Ministry, in order to know what happened on September 2nd because, during the hearing, neither the Ministry of the Interior nor the Navy explained the reason for the interception,” he said.
He noted that something similar occurred at the flagrancy qualification hearing, which was held in parallel for the nine crew members of the vessel Conquista II, and the 19 from the OM2.
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According to the lawyer, “the prosecutor could not prove to the judge that there is suspicion of the commission of any crime“, so the 28 were released.
However, the habeas corpus process continues to determine responsibilities “for the forced disappearance” and to “stop this practice that is being committed on the high seas“, he said.
He recalled that “enforced disappearance can be short-lived and the fishermen were intercepted on September 2nd, and it was not until September 3rd that there was information that the coast guard was going to retrieve them to bring them back.”
Furthermore, Bastidas pointed out that there were 17 people on the Conquista II vessel, eight of whom “remain missing,” although the Navy reported on Friday that they were on their way to the port aboard another vessel.
The 28 men were detained between Wednesday and Thursday by the U.S. Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force after the interception of the vessels in which they were sailing.
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According to the U.S. Southern Command, they allegedly operated as floating refueling stations and supported drug trafficking operations for Los Choneros, Ecuador’s oldest criminal group.
“They are vessels that have been used as logistics for other small vessels that begin to moor, which are loaded with drugs, to then leave for Mexican ports and then go to the United States,” said Interior Minister John Reimberg on Friday.
However, the relatives of these individuals asserted that they are not drug traffickers but fishermen.
On the other hand, this Saturday another vessel, the ‘María Candelaria’, was intercepted on the high seas by U.S. military personnel, as seen in a video broadcast by one of the crew members on social media.
“The vessel is allegedly linked to the narco-terrorist organization Los Choneros and was reportedly being used as a floating refueling station for smaller vessels engaged in illicit activities,” stated the Navy, noting that the 26 crew members are being transported to port.
Last Wednesday marked one year since the start of the U.S. Army’s campaign against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and off the Latin American Pacific coast, with a toll of more than 220 dead.
