According to a release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), at the direction of SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) conducted an interdiction of a vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that was acting as a refueling station in support of illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations for the Los Choneros narco-terrorist organization. After the individuals on board were turned over to Ecuadorian authorities, the vessel was destroyed Following the lull in such operations, after the twin earthquakes in Venezuela and subsequent U.S. support operations there, the tempo of U.S. SOUTHCOM operations against designated organizations in known drug trafficking maritime lanes has picked up significantly.