A judge in Ecuador declared 32 crew members of two fishing boats innocent on Wednesday. The boats had been intercepted and destroyed by U.S. military forces in the Pacific Ocean. The individuals, who had been charged with conspiracy, were accused of collaborating with drug trafficking networks. However, the judge concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the accusations.
“Once the judge reviewed the evidence presented by the prosecution, she determined that it could not be proven that these vessels and this crew had committed any illegal act . There was no crime,” Juan Alvia, the defendants’ lawyer, told the press.
The court ruling benefits eight crew members of the Conquista 2 vessel and 24 crew members of the María Candelaria . Both ships are part of a group of eight fishing vessels sunk between August 28 and September 16 in a joint operation between U.S. military forces and the Ecuadorian government.
Inconsistency in the United States version
According to the version released by the U.S. Southern Command, the vessels acted as floating refueling stations for speedboats involved in drug trafficking to North America. The sailors were preliminarily linked to Los Choneros , an Ecuadorian criminal organization allied with the Sinaloa Cartel and classified as a terrorist group by Washington.
However, the legal representation demonstrated that the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office did not present any official documents or intelligence reports issued by the U.S. government linking the crews to investigations into drug trafficking or fuel smuggling. “These documents simply do not exist,” the lawyer stated.
Ongoing legal proceedings
The initial ruling marks the first firm decision in a series of three legal proceedings involving a total of 88 crew members from five vessels destroyed by U.S. military actions. It is anticipated that the Public Prosecutor’s Office will not appeal the ruling due to a lack of evidence.
The court schedule includes the start of the second trial this Thursday, where the legal status of 46 defendants will be determined. The third trial, involving another 10 sailors and initially scheduled for October 1, has been postponed to October 20 .
An additional group of 70 sea workers belonging to the other three sunken vessels — as well as sailors captured at later dates — were previously released without charges being filed, due to the absence of criminal elements.
Abuse allegations and pending investigations
Following the confirmation of their innocence, the victims are considering requesting the judicial authorities to open a formal investigation to determine responsibility for the destruction of their work tools and for the illegal deprivation of liberty reported during the naval interceptions, before being handed over to the Ecuadorian authorities.
The court ruling coincides with the statement from Human Rights Watch (HRW), which urged the authorities of the United States and Ecuador to make transparent the legal basis for these armed attacks, as well as to open immediate investigations into the abuse allegations made by the crews .