The Negra Francisca Duarte II crew was attacked in international waters near Galapagos.
On Tuesday, Ecuadorian fishermen aboard the Negra Francisca Duarte II were preparing a lawsuit against the U.S. government over an attack that occurred March 17, 2026, while they were fishing in international waters, about 170 nautical miles from the Galapagos.
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Attorney Jose Chiriboga said the vessel may have been attacked during a covert operation by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and with authorization from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“This attack is part of a series of incidents involving Ecuadorian fishing boats, one of which, the Fiorella, disappeared on Jan. 20. Since then, eight of its crew members remain missing,” Elena Rodriguez, a teleSUR correspondent, mentioned.
“Subsequently, on March 26, the fishing boat Don Maca suffered an attack with similar characteristics,” she added, recalling that The Washington Post had linked these cases to a CIA program.
Meanwhile, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa classified the information as “reserved,” preventing parliamentary investigations from advancing, legislator Fernando Cedeño said, questioning the silence of Ecuadorian authorities.
Legislator Cristina Jacome of the leftist party Citizen Revolution also questioned the events and described them as a serious violation of national sovereignty.
The allegations concerning what happened to the crew of the Negra Francisca Duarte II come as the Noboa administration is implementing U.S.-Ecuador security and maritime and air interception agreements, supposedly aimed at combating international drug trafficking.
NYT: “Far out in the Pacific Ocean, Ecuadorean fishermen have been attacked by unidentified ‘gringos’ using drones, survivors say.”
Now Washington Post: “The mysterious strikes targeting multiple Ecuadorian fishing boats…were carried out as part of a covert CIA program.”
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— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) August 13, 2026
Two Dead in New U.S. Attack on Vessel
On Monday, the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) reported a new attack the previous day against a “low-profile” vessel sailing in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The attack, in which two people were killed, was reportedly based on “confirmed intelligence that revealed the vessel’s active involvement in drug trafficking activities,” the SouthCom stated in a message accompanied by a video showing a small vessel exploding in flames.
In September 2025, Trump began a campaign supposedly aimed at combating drug trafficking in Caribbean waters and the Pacific Ocean. So far, the campaign has left nearly 70 vessels attacked and more than 220 people dead, according to media tallies.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have described these attacks as “extrajudicial executions” and have reported that fishermen and fuel smugglers are among the victims.
In July, The Washington Post published official data confirming that Trump’s campaign against small boats has not halted the flow of cocaine into the United States.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: teleSUR – EFE
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