The United States and Ecuador have launched joint military operations targeting drug trafficking in northern Ecuador near the border with Colombia, according to Juan Jaramillo, the governor of Esmeraldas province.
The anti-narcotics operations have been underway for several months as Ecuadorian authorities struggle to contain a severe surge in violent crime across the South American nation.
Governor Jaramillo said on Wednesday that local forces are operating alongside the 7th Special Forces Group of the US Army, a specialized unit trained in unconventional warfare and counterinsurgency operations.
Jaramillo said the combined forces are working together in the fight against narco-terrorism. He declined to reveal the number of American troops deployed to the border region or specify when they arrived.
Special Forces and Maritime Patrols
The joint operations are being conducted in secrecy under the Shield of the Americas, a regional anti-trafficking alliance. The initiative brings together around 20 Latin American and Caribbean nations under the auspices of the US administration to combat illicit drug networks.
Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo announced on Thursday that two US warships and three Black Hawk helicopters have arrived to bolster the campaign. The naval vessels and aircraft will carry out inspections and patrols across designated maritime zones and coastal towns.
Esmeraldas, a coastal province in northwestern Ecuador, has seen a sharp escalation in violence, including murders, kidnappings, and extortion schemes. Authorities attribute the surge in crime to street gangs linked to international drug cartels, which use Pacific ports in Ecuador to ship narcotics to markets in the United States and Europe.
Rising Crime and Government Response
President Daniel Noboa, who took office in 2023, declared a war on organized crime shortly after assuming power. Despite the right-wing administration's militarized security strategy, violent crime has continued to spread.
Ecuador was long regarded as one of the safest nations in South America, but its murder rate surged to a record high of 52 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2025.
