Neither Ecuador nor the United States has disclosed who they are targeting, the location of the operation, or the scope of their military operations.
US launches new military operation in Ecuador
U.S. Southern Command announced that Ecuadorian and U.S. forces have begun an operation against a designated terrorist organization in Ecuador.
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The latest U.S. military operation in Ecuador signals an acceptance of past U.S. strategies to combat drug traffickers in Latin America.
U.S. Southern Command announced on March 3 that Ecuadorian and U.S. forces have begun an operation against a “designated terrorist organization” in Ecuador. Ecuadorian authorities confirmed the joint operation on March 4.
However, neither Ecuador nor the United States has disclosed who they are targeting, the location of the operation, or the scope of their military operations.
As more details emerge, here’s what you need to know about the Ecuadorian operation.
US and Ecuador claims
“The people of Ecuador, like others in the region, are experiencing the violence and corrosive effects of narco-terrorism up close and personal,” Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in a March 4 statement. “Now is the time for our partners in the Western Hemisphere to take decisive action against this disaster, with confidence that SOUTHCOM will support them.”
The White House referred to Donovan’s statement. The Pentagon referred questions to Southern Command. “For operational security reasons, we will not provide specific details regarding continued support for this operation,” Southern Command spokesman Stephen McLeod said in response to emailed questions.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Defense and its embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment.
On March 2, President Daniel Noboa Azin said his country would launch a joint operation with the United States starting in March in a new phase against “narco-terrorism and illegal mining.” The presidential office said joint efforts will include information sharing and coordination of operations at airports, ports and other locations.
The fight against cocaine, money and militarized crime
Ecuador, led by conservative Noboa, has emerged as an ally of President Trump as the United States seeks to expand its influence in Latin America. At the same time, Ecuador, a center for international cocaine trafficking, has seen a sharp increase in crime in recent years.
Cocaine seizures have reached an all-time high globally, especially on the way to the United States, according to the United Nations and the U.S. Coast Guard. Ecuador, located on South America’s Pacific coast, shares borders with Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest producers of cocaine, according to research group Insight Crime. Ecuador currently ships about 70% of its cocaine to all parts of the world, including the United States.
“Ecuador is basically sitting on a river of cocaine,” said Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight for the nongovernmental human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America.
Illegal gold mining and illegal logging operations are also on the rise in Ecuador, said Douglas Farrar, president of security consulting firm IBI Consultants and a former foreign correspondent, adding that Ecuador has problems with criminal organizations operating in other sectors.
Farrar said turf control between criminal groups was leading to a surge in violence. Over the past decade, Ecuador has gone from one of the safest countries in Latin America to one of the most dangerous.
Isakson said corruption is also rampant in the country, which allows organized crime to flourish.
Since taking office in 2023, Noboa has taken a hard-line approach to fighting crime, similar to El Salvador’s President Nayib Boucle, another right-wing Trump ally who has overseen a decline in crime with an aggressive crackdown that has suspended democracy and judicial norms in El Salvador. But while Noboa has also been accused of human rights violations, crime in Ecuador continues to rise.
Farah said a military approach against drug cartels in Latin America could have short-term benefits. However, he added that drug traffickers typically seek to influence the government rather than fight it, resulting in deep-rooted corruption in the military ranks.
Who can the US military target?
U.S. forces have raided personnel on several ships accused of drug smuggling in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. At least 150 people have been killed in 44 known strikes since September, according to a tally by The New York Times. The United Nations human rights chief said the tactic violated international law.
Ecuador’s ground operations signal an escalation in American military strategy.
In September, two Ecuadorian criminal organizations, Choneros and Lobos, were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Choneros, considered one of Ecuador’s two largest criminal organizations by the research group Insight Crime, began as a local gang before the Lobos split. Both were hardened in prison.
Mexican drug cartels are also fighting over drug trafficking routes in Ecuador. News outlets have reported a growing presence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the New Generation Cartel Jalisco, which was led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes until his death in a Mexican military operation at the end of February. Both cartels are also designated as terrorists by the State Department and operate in conjunction with Choneros and Lobos.
Similar to criminal groups in the Western Hemisphere, Albanian criminal groups also operate in Ecuador to smuggle drugs to Europe.
What is the operation?
Multiple media outlets, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that U.S. military personnel were in Ecuador to provide advice and support but were not directly participating in the operation.
It is unclear whether the operation was a military strike against an alleged criminal group or a law enforcement raid to arrest a wanted person. U.S. officials have declined to provide information about ongoing operations.
Isacson said Ecuador is receiving increased U.S. security assistance and is on par with Colombia, which is accustomed to U.S. military assistance in its fight against drug traffickers.
At a security forum in Ecuador’s capital Quito on March 4, Gen. Henry Delgado, commander of Ecuador’s joint forces, said the original March 3 operation began the day after Mr. Noboa met with Mr. Donovan of Central Command.
“We are not afraid and no one is going to intimidate us,” Delgado said. “Because we are convinced that what we are doing is exactly what will benefit our beloved Ecuador.”
Decades of drug war
This operation is not the first time the United States has entered a Latin American country with military force in the more than 50 years since President Richard Nixon declared the eradication of drugs. Past administrations have sent aid and personnel to Colombia and Peru.
Experts said these efforts have largely failed to stem the flow of drugs. Actions in Ecuador are at risk of suffering the same fate.
“This reflects how little we have absorbed the lessons of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to fighting crime,” Farrar said. “Using counter-drug strategies against a problem that is much more multifaceted than drugs is also not the way to have a successful strategy.”
“I don’t see how this will prevent other armed groups from filling the vacuum,” Isakson said.
On March 4, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announced that the United States would host a weekend summit in Miami with 10 Latin American countries, including Ecuador, to address drug trafficking and immigration issues. Almost every country has conservative or right-wing leaders who align with Trump.
The White House did not list Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, three large Latin American countries that also face organized crime problems. All three have left-wing leaders. Levitt said other countries may also participate in the Miami summit.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
