A New York Times investigation reveals the US aided in an attack on a cattle and dairy farm in Ecuador earlier this month. The Department of War claimed the operation targeted a drug lab. 

In early March, the US and Ecuador conducted joint military operations against alleged drug targets. “The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” U.S. Southern Command said following the raid. 

However, The New York Times reports that the target of the operation was a dairy farm, not a drug lab. “The military strike appears to have destroyed a cattle and dairy farm, not a drug trafficking compound, according to interviews with the farm’s owner, four of its workers, human rights lawyers, and residents and leaders in San Martín,” the outlet explains. 

The witnesses explained that the Ecuadorian military arrived at the farm on helicopters, set fire to buildings, and beat the workers. Ecuadorian forces later returned and dropped explosives on the remaining buildings. 

Ecuador said the US provided the intelligence that helped to identify the farm as part of cartel operations. 

The joint mission in Ecuador was part of Operation Southern Spear. President Donald Trump ordered the Department of War last year to expand military operations in Latin America to curb narcotics trafficking to the US.