Ecuador's Fishermen Caught Between Cartel Extortion and U.S. Strikes

At dawn, fishing boats from San Mateo and Jaramijo on Ecuador's Pacific coast head out in search of tuna and swordfish. But the daily routine masks a grim reality: these waters have become a battleground where local fishermen are squeezed between drug cartels demanding payment and U.S. military operations targeting suspected drug vessels.

Criminal organizations, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos, have turned Manabi's small ports into cocaine trafficking hubs. Fishermen prized for their navigation skills face a stark choice: transport drugs for payouts of up to $40,000 per trip, or refuse and risk extortion, threats, and violence. Those who decline to cooperate are often forced to pay $1,200 per trip in "fees" — several times their typical monthly earnings — or face retaliation against themselves and their families.

Offshore, the danger comes from above. Since September, U.S. forces have destroyed 67 vessels and killed more than 220 people under Operation Southern Spear, a campaign targeting alleged narco-traffickers. While the U.S. has claimed responsibility for those strikes, two attacks on fishing vessels from Manabi province remain unclaimed, though survivors and experts say they bear all the hallmarks of U.S. drone strikes.

One such attack occurred on March 17, when the Negra Francisca Duarte II was struck by a drone while at sea. Survivor Simon Villacreses, 52, described hearing a buzzing overhead moments before the blast near the galley set the boat ablaze. Crew members jumped into the ocean and were picked up by armed men in military-style uniforms, hooded, and tied before being transferred to a Salvadoran navy vessel and eventually flown home.

A similar incident struck the Don Maca nine days later. At least eight fishermen from another vessel, the Fiorella, have been missing since January. Security experts say the U.S. Southern Command was almost certainly responsible, given its ongoing campaign in the area. The U.S. Southern Command declined to comment, citing operational security.

Ecuadorian police estimate about 300 residents of Jaramijo have been jailed in U.S. and Salvadoran prisons on drug charges over the past five years. Some fishermen now fish at night or alter routes to avoid both extortion and strikes. Maria Mero, married to a fisherman from the Fiorella, said many are simply staying ashore. "The fishermen don't even want to go out now," she said.

Villacreses, still shaken, has not returned to sea. "Maybe I've given up fishing for good," he said.