VIDEO: U.S. forces intercept and destroy fuel vessel in eastern Pacific

U.S. Southern Command forces intercepted and sank a floating fuel-refueling vessel in the eastern Pacific that Washington said was being used by the “narcoterrorist organization Los Choneros.”

According to SOUTHCOM, the vessel was intercepted during an operation in the eastern Pacific and was subsequently destroyed. The crew was evacuated and is expected to be handed over to Ecuadorian authorities.

The operation differs from other recent U.S. actions involving vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking, in which American forces have generally destroyed the boats without rescuing their crews.

Washington has identified Los Choneros as a narcoterrorist organization. The group is one of Ecuador’s most prominent criminal organizations and has been linked to drug trafficking and other criminal activities.