IntelBrief: Ecuador Declares State of Emergency as Narco-Gangs Threaten the Government

Bottom Line Up Front

• Plagued by widespread violent incidents associated with the narcotrafficking industry, Ecuador has called for a 60-day state of emergency and designated drug trafficking gangs as terrorist organizations, empowering the military to neutralize criminal groups.
• The most recent wave of violence, triggered by the escape from jail by infamous drug cartel leader José Macias Villamar, reveals the cascading insecurity in a country that was up until recently known within the region for its relative stability.
• Ecuador’s strategic location between the top two cocaine-producing countries in the world, Colombia and Peru, its lax law enforcement, and its underfunded penal system have all contributed to the current situation.
• 2023 was an especially volatile year for Ecuador, with snap general elections and a doubling of the country’s homicide rate, contributing to a sharp rise in Ecuadorians leaving the country for the United States.