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Ecuador fishermen caught between cartel extortion and U.S. airstrikes
Fishermen in Ecuador’s Manabi province are caught between the violence of drug cartels and U.S. military operations. Onshore, cartels have transformed local ports into cocaine-trafficking hubs, extorting fishermen for their navigation expertise and forcing them to choose between smuggling or facing violence.
Offshore, the U.S. military’s Operation Southern Spear has targeted alleged narco-terrorists, resulting in the destruction of 67 vessels and more than 220 deaths since last September. While the U.S. government has claimed responsibility for many of these strikes, survivors and human rights advocates report that other attacks on fishing boats bear the hallmarks of U.S. involvement but remain unclaimed. Some reports suggest these strikes may be part of a covert CIA program.
Entities
CIA · Ecuador · Manabí Province · Permanent Committee on Human Rights · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Washington Post reported that certain fishing boat strikes were part of a covert CIA program. jack1065.com · wixx.com · wxerfm.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Two strikes involving fishing vessels from Manabi province bear the hallmarks of U.S. strikes but have not been claimed by the U.S. government. jack1065.com · wixx.com · wxerfm.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Drug cartels are extorting local fishermen in Manabi province due to their navigation skills. jack1065.com · wixx.com · wxerfm.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The U.S. military has destroyed 67 vessels and killed more than 220 people since last September as part of Operation Southern Spear. jack1065.com · wixx.com · wxerfm.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Drug cartels have established a cocaine-trafficking hub in the small ports of Ecuador’s Manabi province. jack1065.com · wixx.com · wxerfm.com