US Coast Guard Makes Record Drug Haul in Pacific, Caribbean

The US Coast Guard unloaded 27 tons of cocaine after a three-month operation in the Pacific and Caribbean, a massive haul that underscores maritime drug flows and cocaine production remain…

Million-Dollar Seizure of Shark Fins Leads to Lenient Fine in Ecuador

The alleged exporter of a shipment of 26 tons of illegal shark fins from Ecuador to Hong Kong has received a fine of a few thousand dollars, showing how people…

Fishermen Fight Off Pirate Attacks in Ecuador

Fishermen in Ecuador have taken matters into their own hands to combat pirate attacks that have long plagued its coastal provinces.

Fishing Village Caught in Crosshairs of Ecuador Drug Gangs

In Ecuador’s coastal town of Posorja, boats are being set on fire and people are being killed, as this fishing community - a key cocaine transit hub - becomes entangled…

Timber Mafias at Ecuador’s Borders Cash in on Balsa Boom

Timber mafias operating along Ecuador’s borders with Peru and Colombia have been profiting from thriving demand for balsa wood.

Los Lagartos

Integrated by multiple gangs with shared allies and enemies, Los Lagartos is one of Ecuador’s prolific prison gangs, whose rivalry with Los Choneros has spurned unprecedented levels violence in Ecuador’s…

Dedicated Hitmen - The New Modus Operandi in Ecuador

A string of brazen targeted killings in Ecuador showcases how violence between the country's criminal gangs is continuing to spiral out of control.

4 Security Challenges Awaiting Ecuador’s Next President

Ecuador’s next president will face an unprecedented set of security challenges, as prison violence has soared to record levels, the country’s corruption is receiving international attention and the criminal situation…

Ecuador's Self-Defeating Anti-Trafficking Law

While authorities in Ecuador tally record cocaine seizures, a change to the criminal code in the Andean country has possibly made it more difficult to prosecute large-scale traffickers.

A Large Galápagos Tortoise Seizure Raises Red Flags

Authorities in Ecuador have seized close to 200 baby tortoises native to the Galápagos Islands that are coveted in the exotic reptile trade.

The Fuel Not the Fuse: Drug Trafficking and Ecuador's Prison Violence

Drug trafficking and transnational organized crime have been blamed for deadly riots among rival gangs in Ecuador's prisons, but the carnage has more to do with how the country's gangs…

Choneros

Los Choneros is one of Ecuador’s most prominent criminal groups, which first emerged in the late 1990s as a drug trafficking organization based in the city of Manta, a beach…