A total of 28 crew members who had been arrested following recent operations by the United States Army against Ecuadorian vessels, supposedly linked to the criminal gang Los Choneros, the largest in the country, have been released. In total, 60 people captured under similar circumstances have been processed: 32 will follow a direct procedure, while the detention of the other 28 has been deemed illegal.
In recent days, Ecuadorian Justice has conducted at least two hearings related to these sailors, detained after the interception and subsequent sinking, by the Southern Command of the U.S. Army (SOUTHCOM), of the vessels "Conquista II", "OM2" and "María Candelaria". The newspaper "Primicias" has referred to these ships as "artisanal boats".
The first hearing was held on September 5 and affected 28 crew members of the "OM2" and "Conquista II". In that proceeding, the judge declared the detention illegal and ordered their immediate release, according to the same outlet. The second hearing took place three days later against another 32 people, 24 from the "María Candelaria" and eight from the "Conquista II". In this second case, the facts were classified as flagrant, the detention was validated, and the Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation for an alleged crime of direct association.
Meanwhile, the resolution of a "habeas corpus" hearing requested by Human Rights organizations and relatives of the crew members of the "Conquista II" remains pending.
Between August 28 and September 7, the Armed Forces of the United States have claimed to have detected, destroyed, and sunk in Pacific waters five supposed floating fuel supply stations that, according to their Intelligence, would be linked to Los Choneros. According to "Primicias", these would be the artisanal boats "Los Tres Hermanos", "Conquista II", "OM2" and "María Candelaria", in addition to the industrial tuna boat "Montecristi", whose 23 crew members are still awaiting transfer after their detention on the 7th.
These operations are joined by the interception and destruction, this same Tuesday, of another supposed floating refueling station. According to a message disseminated on social media by SOUTHCOM, it "provided support to illicit drug trafficking operations at sea in the eastern Pacific."
"Under the direction of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the Joint Task Force of the Western Hemisphere (made up of the 18 member states of its Coalition Against the Cartels of the Americas) has successfully intercepted a floating replenishment station that was supporting illicit drug trafficking operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean," the military authority has pointed out, which again links these structures to Los Choneros.
According to lawyer Juan Alvia, a member of the defense team for the detained fishermen and consulted by the aforementioned media, this Tuesday the artisanal boat "Don Rufo," in which 16 fishermen were traveling, was also intercepted by Southern Command.