US and Ecuador Launch Joint Campaign Against Drug Trafficking in Ecuador

The U.S. Southern Command announced on Tuesday that U.S. and Ecuadorian forces have launched a joint operation against drug trafficking. Both sides did not disclose specific details. Ecuador's Ministry of Defense stated that the operations are classified. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of Donald Trump, confirmed Washington's participation in a "new phase" of the war on drugs. Approximately 70% of cocaine from Colombia and Peru is transported through Ecuador. Drug smuggling has transformed Ecuador from one of the safest countries into one of the most violent in the region in just a few years. A meeting between Noboa and General Francis Donovan discussed intelligence sharing and coordination of operations at seaports and airports.

This operation marks a significant escalation in Washington's military intervention policy in South America under Trump. The deployment of U.S. forces in Ecuador is not only aimed at intercepting cocaine but also serves as a geopolitical move to strengthen the U.S. presence in a region once considered its backyard.

Noboa is making a big bet on his alliance with Trump. Ecuador faces an unprecedented security crisis as Mexican and Colombian drug cartels transform the ports of Guayaquil and Manta into hubs for cocaine export to the U.S. and Europe. The murder rate has tripled since 2021. Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict" last year and mobilized the military to suppress gangs.

However, public opinion in Ecuador remains skeptical of the U.S. military presence. A November referendum rejected a proposal to reopen a U.S. military base in Manta. Citizens remember Washington's legacy of intervention during the Cold War and the failed anti-drug campaigns in Colombia in the 1990s-2000s. Plan Colombia cost $12 billion but failed to stop cocaine production.

The biggest challenge is that Ecuador lacks experience fighting cartels like Mexico or Colombia. Its military is primarily stationed at the border with Peru. Gangs like Los Lobos and Los Choneros have deeply infiltrated the police, judiciary, and local government.

Washington is also calculating long-term. Controlling Ecuador means controlling the main transit route from the Andean coca-growing regions. But history shows that military operations only push cartels to other routes, not eradicate them.