Covert CIA Black Op Was Behind Drone Strikes on Ecuadorian Fishing Boats

A covert CIA program is orchestrating lethal drone strikes against Ecuadorian fishing vessels near the Galápagos Islands, operating entirely outside the parameters of conventional U.S. military operations.

The classified initiative utilizes modified surveillance aircraft and quadcopter drones to execute targeted attacks on civilian ships.

The undeclared campaign has resulted in the disappearance of at least one vessel and the extrajudicial detention of maritime crews.

Washington has not publicly acknowledged the strikes. Both the CIA and U.S. congressional intelligence committees declined to comment on the operations, according to The Washington Post.

Covert Operations at Sea

The clandestine attacks signal a highly compartmentalized phase of the Trump administration's wider counter-narcotics effort.

The Pentagon currently runs an open, parallel campaign targeting suspected drug traffickers across the region.

Unnamed former regional officials questioned the operational parameters of maintaining a parallel intelligence directive.

"It begs the question about why you would need to do this," one former U.S. official stated. "What would be the purpose of the secrecy?"

Three distinct incidents have been identified this year. In January, the Fiorella disappeared with eight crew members approximately 300 miles off the Ecuadorian coast.

Two additional vessels, the Negra Francisca Duarte II and the Don Maca, sustained direct drone strikes in March.

The former was hit inside the Galápagos exclusive economic zone, while the latter was struck just outside its perimeter.

Surveillance Aircraft

Flight tracking data links the strikes to a heavily modified Cessna Citation Longitude operating out of Ilopango International Airport in El Salvador.

The airfield served as a historic hub for U.S.-backed covert operations during the 1980s.

The aircraft, using the call sign "FENIX 701," flew multiple extended missions over the Pacific that directly coincided with the maritime attacks.

The plane lacks an active Federal Aviation Administration registration and is legally tied to a Virginia mail drop.

John Feeley, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama, indicated that the aircraft's deployment from Ilopango, rather than from official regional hubs, points to a highly irregular command structure.

He described the initiative as "run out of a very nontraditional command."

On April 9, following regional media reports regarding the attacks, the surveillance aircraft abruptly relocated to San Antonio, Texas.

Tactical Deployments

Survivors from the Don Maca reported unidentifiable fixed-wing and quadcopter drones engaging their vessel.

The unmanned aerial vehicles either dropped munitions or executed direct kamikaze impacts, detonating on contact to disable the maritime engines.

Jhonny Palacios, a fisherman aboard the Don Maca, recalled initially mistaking an approaching vessel for official protection.

"We felt confident the patrol would keep us safe," Palacios said. "But it was the exact opposite. They were our enemies."

Following the drone strikes, heavily armed, English-speaking operators boarded the disabled vessels.

The assault teams wore khaki uniforms, carried long rifles, and detained the surviving crew members using hoods and handcuffs.

The detainees were subsequently transferred to Salvadoran naval forces before being deported back to Ecuador. The Salvadoran navy later classified one maritime transfer as a "humanitarian" rescue operation.

No public evidence directly links the targeted crews to narcotics trafficking.

Regional intelligence, however, indicates that the Galápagos transit corridors are frequently used by maritime smuggling syndicates.