Ecuador kicked off coordinated security operations this month with regional partner nations and the United States, in an intensified push against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).
The announcement came March 2 following a meeting in Quito between President Daniel Noboa and U.S. Marine Corps General Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), highlighting growing security cooperation in confronting narco-terror networks.
“In the month of March, we will carry out joint operations with our regional allies, including the United States. The security of Ecuadorians is our priority, and we will fight to obtain peace in every corner of the country,” President Noboa said via social media following his meeting with Gen. Donovan.
The announcement builds on a new national security plan unveiled in January, which combines increased investment in equipment and technology with expanded military and police operations to confront organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism.
An intensified phase of cooperation
The March operations mark a strengthened phase of Ecuador-U.S. collaboration.
Since early 2025, Quito and Washington have deepened coordination in intelligence sharing, maritime interdiction, logistics, and training. Bilateral agreements have strengthened information exchange and improved joint detection and disruption of illicit flows moving through Ecuador’s ports and coastal waters. Collaborative planning efforts have focused on countering TCOs that use Ecuador as a transit and consolidation point for narcotics shipments bound for international markets.
For instance, in late October 2025, a coordinated maritime operation involving the Ecuadorian security forces, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the DEA led to the seizure of 10 tons of cocaine valued at about $300 million. The interdictions took place in the Pacific corridor northeast of the Galápagos Islands and resulted in multiple arrests, striking a significant blow against trafficking networks operating along the route.
Beyond interdictions, the partnership has also enhanced operational capacity. In September 2025, the United States announced nearly $20 million in additional security assistance for Ecuador, including funding for unmanned aerial systems to improve maritime and aerial surveillance.
Earlier in 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard completed the transfer of two Island-class patrol boats to the Ecuadorian Navy, expanding coastal patrol and drug interdiction reach in the Pacific. Ecuador’s Minister of Defense Gian Carlo Loffredo said the vessels “strengthen the Security Block” to better coordinate offshore operations for narcotics interdiction and maritime space control.
In July, SOUTHCOM also provided approximately $8 million in specialized military and communications equipment to improve maritime coordination and border security operations.
During his visit — his second to the region since assuming command of SOUTHCOM on February 5, 2026 — Gen. Donovan underscored Ecuador’s importance in the regional fight against designated terrorist organizations involved in drug trafficking.
In September 2025, the United States formally designated Ecuadorian criminal groups Los Lobos and Los Choneros as foreign terrorist organizations, expanding legal and financial tools to target their leadership, financing networks, and transnational operations. The move marked a significant escalation in Washington’s support for Ecuador’s campaign against narco-terror structures.
“Ecuador is one of the United States’ strongest partners in disrupting and dismantling designated terrorist organizations in the region,” Gen. Donovan said. “The Ecuadorian people have witnessed firsthand the terror, violence, and corruption that these narco-terrorists inflict on communities across the region.”
He added that defeating the threat requires collective effort. “The most effective way to defeat the threat of narco-terrorism is through shared responsibility and collaboration among regional allies and partners.”
Maritime security at the forefront
Ecuador’s geographic position along key Pacific trafficking corridors places it at the center of maritime security efforts in the hemisphere. Criminal networks exploit commercial shipping routes, fishing vessels, and container infrastructure to move narcotics northward, generating illicit profits that finance violence and corruption.
Coordinated patrols and interdiction efforts have expanded Ecuador’s ability to monitor suspicious vessel movements beyond its territorial waters. In a late-October 2025 operation near the Galápagos Islands, authorities also disrupted arms trafficking activity, detaining two vessels operating without navigation documentation and seizing weapons packages linked to illicit networks.
The operational framework enabling these actions is reinforced by the Counter Illicit Transnational Maritime Activity Operations Agreement between Ecuador and the United States, which facilitates cooperation against crimes including drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
By aligning intelligence and operational planning, Ecuador and its partners aim to increase interdiction effectiveness and disrupt supply chains that finance criminal organizations.
Strengthening institutions and regional stability
Ecuador’s security strategy combines domestic institutional strengthening with international support. The government has expanded the role of its Armed Forces in support of law enforcement and prioritized dismantling terror groups responsible for escalating violence.
“We will continue to fight against organized crime, illegal mining, and the people who terrorize our neighborhoods,” President Noboa has said in recent public remarks, reiterating his administration’s resolve.
Ecuador has also intensified coordination with neighbors along their shared border. According to a late January 2026 statement from Colombia’s Ministry of Defense, binational efforts through the Binational Border Commission have contributed to significant increases in drug seizures in the border region in recent years, reflecting strengthened information exchange and coordinated enforcement against trafficking networks operating across both territories.
Beyond the region, Ecuadorian authorities have worked with European partners to pursue criminal leadership abroad. In late 2025, Spanish police, in coordination with Ecuadorian officials, arrested Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarría — a key figure linked to Los Lobos — in Spain. The capture underscored Ecuador’s ability to collaborate internationally to target criminal structures operating beyond its borders.
For Ecuador, these partnerships enhance operational effectiveness and institutional capacity in confronting TCOs. Across the hemisphere and beyond, coordinated efforts with regional and international partners reflect a shared commitment to counter narcotics trafficking, illegal mining, and arms smuggling — threats that undermine stability across borders.
As joint efforts continue, the strengthened alliance between Quito and Washington — alongside cooperation with partner nations — highlights a central principle of regional security: Combating narco-terrorism demands coordinated action, trusted partnerships, and a collective commitment to safeguard citizens and uphold the rule of law.
