Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa is reportedly making daily requests to the United States for assistance in curbing a $30 billion cocaine trade that has fueled a significant increase in violence within the country. During a visit to Ecuador, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to seek $45 million in additional security funding and equipment for the Latin American nation to help tackle drug trafficking. This comes as the US is engaging with leaders in the region closely aligned with President Donald Trump's administration, indicating a broader strategic effort to combat criminal organizations.
The US has already initiated a military campaign known as Operation Southern Spear, which has involved lethal kinetic strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats. This operation has destroyed approximately 70 vessels and resulted in over 220 deaths in the past year. Rubio defended these controversial strikes, stating that decisions on targeting are made on a "strike-by-strike" basis with Ecuadorian cooperation and are aimed at drug traffickers, not fishermen. However, these actions have drawn criticism from human rights groups and some Latin American leaders, who refer to the strikes as extrajudicial killings. Ben Saul, chair of international law at the University of Sydney, has even suggested these attacks could constitute "crimes against humanity" and violate international law, citing 68 attacks that killed 223 people as potential instances of murder under customary international law.
In response to the escalating violence in Ecuador, which has seen more than 25,000 murders in the last three years due to drug gangs vying for control of trafficking routes, the US has begun designating Ecuadorian gangs as terrorist organizations. Recently, the US blacklisted Los Tiguerones as a "terrorist organization" and sanctioned seven former Ecuadorian officials. This follows previous designations of the "Chone Killers" and Los Lobos as foreign terrorist organizations. These gangs, including Los Choneros, have ties to international cartels and are responsible for a significant portion of the drug trafficking and extortion in Ecuador, posing a severe threat to the country's stability.
