The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on 15 Ecuador-based targets and identified 10 vessels as blocked property, dismantling a significant cocaine network responsible for covertly shipping thousands of kilograms of cocaine monthly from South America to Mexico for distribution in the United States. This network is deeply intertwined with Ecuador's violent Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), Los Choneros and Los Lobos, which also maintain ties to Mexican FTOs.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent emphasized the administration's commitment, saying, "Under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury is relentlessly targeting the narcoterrorist networks that profit from poisoning Americans." The sanctioned entities operated under the guise of legitimate fishing businesses near Manta, Ecuador, using their fleet to secretly transfer cocaine to "go-fast vessels" that traverse the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPAC) en route to the U.S. The drugs are then smuggled through Mexico by FTOs such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), generating billions of dollars annually for narcoterrorists.
This action is part of a broader, unified U.S. government effort to combat drug trafficking, including the U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Pacific Viper, launched in August 2025. By June 2026, Operation Pacific Viper had seized over 225,000 pounds (approximately 112 tons) of cocaine in the EPAC. The designations highlight the increasing convergence between Ecuador's and Mexico's most violent FTOs, who conspire to funnel deadly drugs into the United States.
Among those sanctioned are Alfonso Mero Mero, his sons Roberth Alfonso Mero Arcentales and Edwar Alexis Mero Arcentales, and their family business Arcasdenoe, S.A., for smuggling cocaine and providing logistical support to go-fast vessels. Other key operators sanctioned include Julio Javier Mero Franco, Milton Edixon Martinez Mendoza, Jhonny Francisco Vera Laz, Byron Aldino Mero Bermello, and Jimmy Leonidas Alarcon Holguin, along with six entities he owns or controls. The 10 blocked vessels, including "Todos Vuelven" and "Arca De Noe III," provided crucial logistical support, such as refueling and monitoring for law enforcement, along the trafficking routes.
The sanctions mean all property and interests in property of the designated persons and entities in the U.S. or under U.S. control are blocked, and transactions involving them are prohibited. This comprehensive approach aims to impose systemic friction on narcoterrorist networks in the Western Hemisphere, disrupting their operations and ultimately seeking a positive change in behavior.