USS San Antonio begins first anti-drug operation in Eastern Pacific

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Just days after arriving in Ecuador, the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) took part in its first operational counter-narcotics mission in the Eastern Pacific. On 28 August, US personnel boarded a vessel which, according to US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), served as a floating refuelling point for speedboats used to transport drugs. The vessel was subsequently sunk.

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LCF-24 prepares for maritime interdiction operations

The mission involved personnel from Littoral Combat Force-24 (LCF-24), a force built around the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) and currently embarked aboard the amphibious ship. Around 1,300 Marines belong to this component, which had been conducting boarding and maritime interdiction training before real-world operations began in the region.

The USS San Antonio arrived at the port of Manta late last week alongside the destroyer USS Gridley (DDG-101). The deployment of the two vessels forms part of growing cooperation between Washington and Quito on maritime security and efforts against drug-trafficking networks operating along Pacific routes.

USS San Antonio and Marines move from interdiction exercises to a real Pacific operation

During the 28 August operation, sailors and Marines departed the USS San Antonio to intercept and board the vessel in international waters off Ecuador’s coast. SOUTHCOM said the procedure was completed without incident. US authorities stated that the vessel acted as a logistical station for drug-trafficking groups, supplying fuel to speedboats used on Eastern Pacific maritime routes. Once the inspection had been completed and the operation concluded, the boat was sunk.

SOUTHCOM linked the vessel to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal organisation associated with international drug trafficking. The group, along with Los Lobos, was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States last year.

“Our coalition delivered a decisive blow against a narco-terrorist operation responsible for trafficking significant quantities of drugs in the region. Together with our regional partners, we are committed to defeating narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere,” said General Francis L. Donovan, commander of US Southern Command.

The operation marks a new phase for the embarked military personnel. In the preceding weeks, LCF-24 members had focused on practising boarding and maritime interdiction techniques alongside the Navy, preparing teams to intercept suspicious vessels and carry out operations on the high seas.

USS San Antonio provides a mobile base for interdiction operations

Using the USS San Antonio allows these teams to operate from a naval platform able to remain in the area for extended periods and rapidly deploy personnel, aircraft and smaller craft to different locations.

As the first ship in a class of 12 vessels, the USS San Antonio has a flight deck and a well deck, as well as the capacity to operate helicopters, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and landing craft. These features enable the 24th MEU to keep interdiction teams embarked and reposition them according to operational requirements.

With approximately 1,300 Marines assigned to LCF-24, the ship’s presence in the Eastern Pacific gives the United States a capability far broader than a patrol conducted solely by surface units. In addition to boarding operations, its configuration can sustain personnel and support assets at sea, extending the endurance and flexibility of the force deployed against maritime drug-trafficking networks.

The 28 August action illustrates that role. After reaching Manta and completing a preparatory phase, the force embarked aboard the USS San Antonio began taking a direct role in US-led interdiction operations in the Eastern Pacific, coordinated with regional partners.