Quito — Ecuadorian Fishermen Sue US Over Pacific Boat Strike

Sixteen Ecuadorian fishermen are suing the Trump administration over a U.S. military strike that sank their boat and left two of them burned. The lawsuit, obtained by The Guardian, is set to be filed Monday in U.S. district court for the western district of Pennsylvania.

The men say they had no connection to drug trafficking. They say they were illegally targeted while returning from a two-week fishing trip in the Pacific Ocean.

What happened to the boat on March 17?

Two armed drones struck the fishing vessel La Negra Francesca Duarte II on March 17, according to the complaint cited by The Guardian. The boat was about 385 nautical miles from the port of Manta, Ecuador, at the time.

The explosions set the boat on fire and destroyed it, the filing states. Two crew members caught fire and suffered burns to their legs, arms and back.

What do the fishermen say happened after the strike?

The men jumped overboard into small emergency boats, according to the lawsuit. A surveillance drone followed them as they rowed toward a U.S. military vessel.

U.S. personnel in camouflage uniforms restrained the men with zip ties and placed plastic hoods over their heads, the complaint says.

"Were themselves set on fire and burned on their legs, arms and back." — from the fishermen's lawsuit, as reported by The Guardian

What is Operation Southern Spear?

The March 17 strike was carried out under Operation Southern Spear, the Trump administration's campaign against alleged "narco-terrorism" in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to The Guardian. The administration announced the operation in November 2025.

The fishermen's lawsuit argues the administration has provided no evidence linking them to drug trafficking.

How many people has the campaign killed?

The Washington Office on Latin America, a policy group known as WOLA, says the U.S. military has killed nearly 250 people in strikes carried out under the operation, The Guardian reported. WOLA describes the killings as extrajudicial executions, saying the government has not shown proof that those killed were engaged in trafficking.

By the numbers

• 16 — fishermen named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit
• ~250 — people WOLA says have been killed in strikes under Operation Southern Spear
• 385 — nautical miles from the port of Manta where the boat was struck
• 2 — crew members who suffered serious burns in the attack

What happens next in the lawsuit?

The complaint is set to be filed Monday in U.S. district court for the western district of Pennsylvania, according to The Guardian, which reviewed the filing ahead of the court date. The Guardian reported that one of the boat's crew gave an interview in June describing the attack.

Glossary

Operation Southern Spear — The Trump administration campaign, announced in November 2025, aimed at countering alleged drug trafficking networks operating in the Caribbean and Pacific.

WOLA — The Washington Office on Latin America, a policy and advocacy organization that tracks U.S. military actions in the region and has characterized the strikes as extrajudicial executions.

Extrajudicial execution — A killing carried out by state agents outside any legal process, such as arrest, charge or trial.

Nautical mile — A unit of distance used in maritime and aviation navigation, equal to about 1.15 standard miles.

Has the U.S. military responded to the lawsuit?

The Guardian's report does not include a statement from the Trump administration or the U.S. military addressing the fishermen's claims. The administration has publicly confirmed other strikes under Operation Southern Spear, including a separate attack on an alleged drug vessel in the eastern Pacific that the military said killed five people, according to a related Guardian report.

Why does this lawsuit stand out among other Southern Spear cases?

WOLA's tally of nearly 250 deaths tied to Operation Southern Spear, cited by The Guardian, has largely involved people killed in the strikes rather than survivors able to testify in court. The Ecuadorian fishermen's case is built on first-hand accounts from men who say they were pulled from the water alive, restrained and hooded by U.S. personnel rather than killed outright. Their central claim — that they were fishing, not trafficking, and that the government has shown no evidence otherwise — tracks the broader argument WOLA has made about the campaign as a whole.

The Guardian noted that one of the boat's crew members gave an interview in June describing the attack, though the outlet's report, as reviewed, does not detail what he said beyond confirming the account matches the lawsuit's version of events.