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Ecuadorian Navy locates 10 crew members of sunk Don Rufo vessel
The Ecuadorian Navy has located ten crew members of the Don Rufo, a vessel that was intercepted and sunk by United States forces in the Pacific Ocean on September 8. The vessel was targeted due to suspected links to maritime drug trafficking operations.
Initially, only six of the 16 crew members were handed over to Ecuadorian authorities. The remaining ten had reportedly moved away from the primary intervention site in smaller boats. Following a search operation, the Navy confirmed their location and is currently transporting them to an Ecuadorian port for legal processing.
The Don Rufo incident is the sixth such vessel targeted by U.S. forces in a two-week period. These operations, conducted by the Western Hemisphere Task Force, aim to disrupt floating refueling stations used by criminal groups, including the Los Choneros gang, to transport narcotics toward the United States.
Entities
Armada del Ecuador · Don Rufo · Los Choneros · United States · Western Hemisphere Task Force
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Don Rufo was intercepted and sunk by the U.S. Western Hemisphere Task Force on September 8. cerolatitud.ec
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The interception occurred approximately 327 miles off the Ecuadorian coast. cerolatitud.ec
- [● 3 SOURCES] The ten missing crew members had moved away from the intervention site in smaller boats. cerolatitud.ec
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Don Rufo is the sixth vessel targeted by the U.S. in two weeks for alleged drug trafficking links.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Ecuadorian Navy located ten crew members of the Don Rufo vessel. cerolatitud.ec
- [● 3 SOURCES] The located crew members are being transported to an Ecuadorian port for legal processing. cerolatitud.ec