In recent years, Ecuador has become a crucial battleground in the fight against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). While headlines often focus on spectacular police raids and violent confrontations, a quieter but equally decisive war is being waged against the financial backbone of criminal groups.
The shift in strategy began in January 2024, when President Daniel Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict” and designated 22 violent criminal organizations as terrorist groups. This declaration provided the essential legal basis for using military and security forces in an offensive campaign against TCO finances.
Ecuador is not only attacking the physical presence of groups such as the Comandos de la Frontera — a powerful criminal network rooted in dissidents from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) — but is also dismantling the intricate network of money laundering, real estate investments, and illicit financial flows that sustain these groups.
“Ecuador borders Peru and Colombia, where organized crime groups related to cocaine trafficking and its sale, mainly to Europe, operate,” Argentine security analyst Luis Somoza said. “Offshoots of narco-terrorist organizations such as the FARC seek to weaken its democratic system.”
Historic blow to criminal finances
In September 2025, Ecuadorian authorities delivered a historic blow to TCO finances by executing a massive operation against the Comandos de la Frontera. The seizure of 103 properties — valued by the authorities at $313.9 million — represents a major triumph for financial intelligence. The operation involved 600 police officers and 98 officials from the Attorney General’s Office, leading to the arrest of 10 people and the prosecution of 26 others for money laundering.
The Ministry of the Interior detailed that the seized assets included vast agricultural estates, luxury homes, commercial businesses, and land used for the lucrative cultivation of palm oil, demonstrating the group’s deep penetration into the legitimate economy. Among the assets seized, according to the Ministry of the Interior, were two farms in Santo Domingo with a total area of 620 hectares and another of 470 hectares in Esmeraldas, as well as gas stations, warehouses, and luxury residences.
The operation also targeted key figures: Roberto Carlos Álvarez Guerra, alias Gerente — a reported commander of the Comandos de la Frontera — was captured in Abu Dhabi in June 2025 and awaits extradition. Another key figure, Juan Carlos Chulca Chiliquinga, alias Chavalo, was found to have more than $9 million in undeclared income, highlighting the scale of illicit activity coordinated through family businesses and real estate investments.
“The presence of organized criminal groups in Ecuador has demonstrated their ability to infiltrate social, political, and economic structures through corruption and illicit financing,” Somoza added.
Beyond the raids: Ecuador’s evolving strategy
This operation is emblematic of Ecuador’s broader, long-term strategy to attack the financial structures of organized crime. Recognizing that criminal groups thrive not only on violence but also on their ability to launder and invest illicit profits, Ecuador has strengthened its legal and institutional frameworks.
Strong anti-money laundering laws such as the Organic Law on the Prevention, Detection, and Eradication of Money Laundering and Crime Financing impose strict reporting and compliance requirements on financial institutions. Recent reforms allow authorities to seize assets even without a criminal conviction.
Innovative tools and international support
Ecuador is adopting innovative methods to track and dismantle criminal finances, using automated systems and artificial intelligence to monitor digital content and social media for signs of money laundering and recruitment, while focusing investigations on critical geographic locations where illicit financial activities are concentrated.
Ecuador collaborates with neighboring countries and international organizations to share intelligence, conduct joint operations, and learn from regional best practices in asset forfeiture and financial investigations.
Ecuador’s Financial Analysis Unit (UAFE) plays a central role in collecting, studying, and disseminating financial intelligence. The United States has been a key partner, supporting Ecuador through specialized training for law enforcement and judicial officials, and technical assistance for the UAFE. Furthermore, in 2025, both nations signed a new bilateral agreement to improve information sharing and joint operations against TCOs, reflecting a shared commitment to dismantling the financial infrastructure of organized crime.
Importance of financial disruption
Experts agree that attacking the financial networks of criminal organizations is essential to weakening their power and influence.
“Ecuadorian authorities must continue to step up the fight against money laundering in order to cut off the flow of financing for their illicit activities,” Somoza said. “Ecuadorian institutions such as the armed forces, security forces, and justice system, together with the international community, must join forces to overcome this crisis, working together to dismantle criminal networks.”
While structural financial disruption requires a different focus than tactical law enforcement at the point of sale, the combination of asset seizures, financial intelligence, and robust legal frameworks is crucial to the long-term dismantling of criminal economies. Ecuador’s approach is increasingly holistic, combining financial prosecution with traditional policing, institutional reforms, and international cooperation.
Successes and strategic resolve
Ecuador’s sustained offensive demonstrates the nation’s strategic resolve to defeat the economic foundation of TCOs. The success of the September 2025 operation proves the effectiveness of combining legal reform, financial intelligence, and international cooperation. These victories highlight the irreversible political will to dismantle criminal economies, protecting the region’s stability.
“Security is a state policy, and this government will not tolerate criminal economies feeding on illicit activities, regardless of their origin,” said Interior Minister John Reimberg. “We will find and capture the criminals.”
Ecuador’s fight against TCOs is no longer limited to streets and borders, but is being waged in boardrooms, banks, and real estate markets, where criminal fortunes are built and laundered. By attacking the financial heart of organized crime, Ecuador is setting a new standard for the region, demonstrating that the battle for security and the rule of law must be fought on all fronts: physical, financial, and institutional.
