Drug Cartels Recruit Manabí Fishermen; US Southern Command Monitoring

Drug cartels in Ecuador's Manabí province are increasingly recruiting experienced fishermen, offering up to $100,000 per voyage to transport narcotics by sea, exposing them to danger and drawing attention from the U.S. Southern Command. The development signals an escalation in cartel reliance on local maritime expertise and a potential expansion of drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. The extent of U.S. operational response remains unclear.