USS San Antonio Sailors, Marines Destroy Alleged Narco Boat Refueling Station

Heather Mongilio – August 31, 2026 4:27 PM

U.S. Marines and sailors, launching from USS San Antonio (LPD-17), interdicted and boarded a vessel suspected of being used as a floating refueling station before Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere ultimately blew it up.

Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere worked with the Ecuadorian government to interdict the alleged refueling station, according to a Friday U.S. Southern Command post on social media site X. The unidentified vessel was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for operating in support of the Ecuadorian organized crime syndicate Los Choneros.

During the interdiction, Marines and sailors removed individuals from the vessel, but the post did not say how many people were detained. Those removed were “safely escorted” to Ecuador, according to the post.

The SOUTHCOM post and other Trump administration posts praising the operation did not explain why Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere interdicted the vessel before blowing it up and if this tactic has been used in other strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels. There were two strikes in August against such vessels after a more than two-month pause.

“Today’s interdiction and sinking of a floating refueling station used for at-sea drug trafficking operations dealt a direct blow to the logistics network fueling narco-terrorists and cartels in the Western Hemisphere. By severing this critical maritime node, our Joint Force – spearheaded by the precision and professionalism of our Marines and sailors of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere aboard USS San Antonio – fractured a primary artery of this illicit logistics chain and sent an unmistakable message to narco-terrorists across the region,” Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, said in a separate SOUTHCOM post.

On Aug. 21, USCGC Richard Dixon (WPC-1113)’s crew interdicted a vessel allegedly trafficking illicit narcotics. The Coast Guard found approximately 7,250 pounds of cocaine aboard the vessel.

The service detained the five people aboard and then destroyed the vessel because it was hazardous to navigation, reads a Thursday press release from the Coast Guard.

Heather Mongilio

Heather Mongilio is a reporter with USNI News. She has a master’s degree in science journalism and has covered local courts, crime, health, military affairs and the Naval Academy.
Email: hmongilio@usni.org
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