Takes out refueling station for alleged drug-trafficking boats

The U.S. military, working with Ecuadorian officials, boarded and later sank a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday that U.S. Southern Command said was allegedly used as a floating refueling station for drug-trafficking boats linked to the Los Choneros organization. The ship was in international waters near Ecuador. Marines and sailors from the USS San Antonio boarded it without incident and then took the people on board to Ecuador. SOCOM said it carried out the sinking with an airstrike and released video showing the vessel being scuttled. The operation was described as a hit to the gang’s logistics network and part of ongoing counterdrug efforts.