Ecuador: 10,000 Troops Deployed Against Drug Cartels

Ecuadorian authorities have deployed 10,000 troops to combat drug trafficking gangs following a surge in violence. The operation is focused on the port of Guayaquil and Manta.

Ecuador has become a drug transit hub, leading to escalating violence due to clashes between gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels.

President Daniel Noboa's government, with support from the United States, is reinforcing security forces. Hundreds of special forces members have been deployed to Guayaquil to ensure coastal security, according to General Mario Vedoya.

Defense Minister Giancarlo Loffredo ordered the military leadership to take action in the city indefinitely. Aircraft with military personnel were also sent to Manta.

Ecuador closed 2025 with 52 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Organized Crime Observatory.