US Deploys Forces to Ecuador in Anti-Drug Operation

The United States has begun deploying military forces to Ecuador as part of a temporary operation aimed at combating drug trafficking, the US Embassy in Quito announced on Wednesday, amid growing concerns over cocaine smuggling routes in the region.

According to the embassy, the deployment is part of a joint security strategy between Washington and Quito, as Ecuador has become a key transit hub for cocaine produced in neighboring countries. The operation comes as the US has expanded its military presence since last summer across the Caribbean and the Pacific, targeting vessels it says are used for drug trafficking.

The US Embassy confirmed the arrival of US Air Force personnel in Ecuador on Wednesday as part of a temporary operation conducted in coordination with the Ecuadorian Air Force at the coastal city of Manta in the country’s southwest. The embassy did not disclose the number of troops involved or how long they will remain in Ecuador.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Defense said US aircraft carrying military-type equipment had arrived in the country several days earlier. The embassy said the operation is intended to strengthen Ecuadorian military capabilities in combating drug trafficking organisations, particularly by improving intelligence gathering and counter-narcotics operations. It added that the goal is to protect both the US and Ecuador from shared security threats.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, a regional ally of US President Donald Trump, said the joint operation would help identify and dismantle drug trafficking routes and confront criminal groups seeking to destabilize the country.

Washington and Quito signed a military cooperation agreement in 2023. The US Embassy said the short-term joint effort falls within the framework of the two countries’ long-term bilateral security strategy and complies with existing agreements under Ecuadorian law.

The deployment has raised legal and political questions in Ecuador. In November, voters rejected a proposal by President Noboa to allow the return of foreign military bases to the country. The US Air Force operated a military base in Manta for a decade until 2009.

Ecuador’s ports of Guayaquil and Manta have become major launch points for cocaine shipments produced primarily in Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers. The rise in trafficking has transformed Ecuador from a previously relatively safe country into a battleground for organized crime gangs, contributing to a sharp increase in violence.

Since September, US operations targeting suspected drug trafficking boats in the region have resulted in at least 95 deaths, prompting scrutiny over the legality and human cost of the campaign.