The United States has destroyed a dairy farm in Ecuador, instead of a suspected drug trafficking base, The New York Times reports.
According to the newspaper, this month, US officials released a video of a powerful explosion that they say shows the destruction of a drug trafficking camp in a rural area of Ecuador. Citing statements from villagers, the newspaper notes that the US military strikes likely destroyed a dairy farm, not a drug trafficking camp.
According to the newspaper, the farm in question was the remote village of San Martin in northern Ecuador. The US military, according to the newspaper's sources, was not directly involved in the operation, but provided a helicopter that transported several Ecuadorian soldiers on March 3.
The farm's owner and other local residents deny allegations that the farm was used as a weapons depot, the publication reports. Locals said the raid on the farm was part of a large-scale, multi-day operation by Ecuadorian soldiers who earlier that week burned down two abandoned houses nearby and then bombed one of them.
Ecuadorian officials said the military had found weapons caches and other "evidence of illegal activity" on the grounds of the destroyed houses. The newspaper noted that the soldiers did not provide evidence of this, although they routinely publish photos of illegal substances and weapons seized during operations.
In March, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that US and Ecuadorian troops had begun joint operations against drug cartels in the South American republic. Footage posted on SOUTHCOM's X page shows a group of soldiers boarding a helicopter.
In early 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a crackdown on drug trafficking. After designating several Latin American drug cartels as terrorist organizations, he issued a directive authorizing the use of military force against them.
Since September 2025, more than 40 boats suspected of being used for drug trafficking have been sunk in the Caribbean Sea, killing more than 150 people.