Colombian, Ecuadorian, US Navies Dismantle Illegal Shipyard Used for Narcotics Trafficking

A joint operation by the navies of Colombia, Ecuador and the United States located and dismantled a clandestine shipyard on Isla Canchimalero in Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province. The facility was used to build and outfit semi‑submersible vessels that transport large drug shipments across the Pacific. Intelligence sharing and coordinated riverine patrols led marine infantry units to identify the site, which could house 10‑12 workers.

Authorities seized approximately 2,600 gallons of fuel, 40 bull tanks, fiberglass, resin and other materials essential for constructing the illegal vessels. The operation, conducted under bilateral cooperation agreements, is described by Colombian Marine Brigade commander Colonel Jorge Enrique González Orejuela as a significant blow to transnational narcotics networks by curtailing their maritime logistics capability in the eastern Pacific corridor.