The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 15 individuals and entities based in Ecuador and blocked 10 fishing vessels as part of a cocaine trafficking operation linked to violent gangs in Ecuador and Mexican drug cartels, the agency said.
The network operates under the guise of legitimate fishing businesses near Manta, Ecuador, secretly transferring cocaine to small, fast boats known as go-fast vessels that transport the drugs through the Eastern Pacific Ocean to Mexico for distribution in the United States, Treasury said.
The network is affiliated with Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two of Ecuador's most violent criminal organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations, which maintain ties to the Mexican cartels Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, according to Treasury.
The operation involves family-run businesses and dozens of individuals. Alfonso Mero Mero and his sons Roberth Alfonso Mero Arcentales and Edwar Alexis Mero Arcentales operate a fleet of fishing vessels that provide refueling, food, and medical services to cocaine-laden boats, Treasury said. Other operators include Julio Javier Mero Franco, who has coordinated the transport of approximately 30 to 40 tons of cocaine monthly, and Jimmy Leonidas Alarcon Holguin, who coordinates the refueling of cocaine-laden vessels.
The cocaine trafficking generates billions of dollars in revenue for cartels annually and threatens U.S. national security, according to Treasury. The action is part of Operation Pacific Viper, an accelerated counter-drug campaign launched by the U.S. Coast Guard in August 2025. As of June 2026, the Coast Guard has seized more than 225,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.