The U.S. government on Thursday imposed sanctions on an Ecuador-based maritime network accused of smuggling thousands of kilograms of cocaine each month toward the United States under the cover of commercial fishing fleets.
The action by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 15 individuals and entities and blocked 10 commercial fishing vessels based near Manta, Ecuador. According to federal officials, the network served as a vital logistical pipeline connecting Ecuador’s Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs with major Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
U.S. officials stated that the Ecuador-based fishing fleet secretly refueled, resupplied, and transferred illicit cargo to small “go-fast” powerboats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The vessels, often using government-subsidized fuel, monitored for law enforcement activity while moving multi-ton drug shipments north through Central America and Mexico.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury is relentlessly targeting the narcoterrorist networks that profit from poisoning Americans,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to disrupt the cartels’ drug trafficking operations and protect our borders.”
Among those sanctioned is a family-run business, Arcasdenoe, S.A., operated by Alfonso Mero Mero and his sons, Roberth Alfonso Mero Arcentales and Edwar Alexis Mero Arcentales. Authorities identified six related vessels tied to the family, including the Todos Vuelven, which officials said directly moved multi-ton drug loads in addition to providing mid-sea refueling.
Other key figures named include Julio Javier Mero Franco, accused of coordinating 30 to 40 tons of cocaine per month for Los Choneros, and Milton Edixon Martinez Mendoza, linked to maritime transport for both Los Choneros and Los Lobos. Jimmy Leonidas Alarcon Holguin and Byron Aldino Mero Bermello were cited for running refueling operations, with Alarcon Holguin linked to six targeted commercial entities, including Alho Fish, S.A. and Soisamar, S.A.S.
The sanctions are part of a broader push in the Eastern Pacific corridor, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard’s Operation Pacific Viper. Launched in August 2025, that interdiction campaign has resulted in the seizure of over 225,000 pounds of cocaine.
The enforcement action blocks all U.S.-based property, assets, and business interests tied to the targeted individuals, businesses, and identified vessels, while barring U.S. citizens and domestic financial institutions from engaging in transactions with them.
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