The Ecuadorian military said the United States and Ecuador conducted joint military strikes on a drug trafficking operation in Ecuador near the Colombian border. S. executed targeted action against narco-terrorism networks in Ecuador in partnership with Ecuador's security forces.
Ecuadorian officials claimed the property had been used by an armed group to conceal weapons and served as a training ground for about 50 drug traffickers. However, the farm's owner said he bought the 350-acre property about six years ago and has raised roughly 50 cows there, describing it as a small dairy and cattle farm with no connection to drug trafficking. The military operation destroyed equipment sheds, a cheese outpost, and a chicken coop, according to the farm owner.
Farm employees alleged that Ecuadorian service members landed by helicopter on March 3, interrogated workers, beat them with guns, set structures on fire, and subjected workers to choking and electrical shocks before releasing them. Villagers reported that Ecuadorian military helicopters returned three days later and unleashed explosives on the farm's remaining structures. The Alliance for Human Rights filed a complaint with the United Nations and Ecuador's government over the operation.
S. military's strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean have killed at least 144 people, according to multiple reports. S.
anti-drug efforts in the region.