An Ecuadorian judge acquitted 32 crew members of two fishing boats on Wednesday, finding no evidence that they had collaborated with drug trafficking networks after the vessels were intercepted and destroyed by U.S. military forces in the Pacific Ocean.
The ruling covers eight members of the vessel Conquista 2 and 24 from the María Candelaria. Both boats are part of a group of eight fishing vessels sunk between August 28 and September 16 in a joint operation between U.S. military forces and the Ecuadorian government. The crew members had been prosecuted for the alleged crime of illicit association.
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Defense lawyer Juan Alvia told the press that the judge reviewed the evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office and determined that it had not been proven that the vessels or the crew had committed any illicit act, concluding that no crime existed.
U.S. Southern Command had said the vessels acted as floating stations for refueling boats dedicated to drug trafficking toward North America, and the sailors were preliminarily linked to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal organization allied with the Sinaloa Cartel and classified as a terrorist group by Washington.
However, the defense demonstrated that the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office did not present any official document or intelligence report from the U.S. government linking the crews to investigations into drug trafficking or fuel smuggling. The jurist said such documents do not exist.
#SOSPescadores | Ministro @JohnReimberg, lo mínimo que pueden hacer es pedir disculpas públicas a las familias de los pescadores que fueron atacadas en altamar por el Comando Sur de Estados Unidos y la DEA, en coordinación con el gobierno de Daniel Noboa.
Hoy, una jueza declaró… https://t.co/VM1O8RiiTq pic.twitter.com/kLDnPAOSfX
— ROQUE ORDOÑEZ (@RoqueOrdonezEc) October 8, 2026
The first-instance ruling marks the first firm decision in a series of three legal processes covering a total of 88 crew members from five vessels destroyed by U.S. military actions. The Public Ministry is not expected to appeal due to lack of evidentiary proof.
The judicial schedule includes the start of the second trial this Thursday, where the legal situation of 46 prosecuted individuals will be defined. The third trial, for another 10 sailors and initially set for October 1, was postponed to October 20.
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