Ecuador to impose 30% security tax on Colombian imports

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Tuesday that his government will impose a 30% security tax on imports from Colombia, effective Feb. 1, citing what he described as a lack of reciprocity and joint action against drug trafficking and illegal mining along the two countries' shared border.

Noboa framed the move as a response to longstanding security concerns and diplomatic tensions, including a recent controversial statement by Colombian President Gustavo Petro calling for the release of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who is imprisoned on corruption charges.

In a post on the social media platform X, Noboa said Quito has made "significant efforts to cooperate with Colombia," even while managing an annual trade deficit of more than $1 billion. He said Ecuador's armed forces continue to battle border criminal organizations "without any cooperation" from Colombia, and presented the tax as a means to secure concrete commitments on regional security issues.

"This measure will remain in effect until there is a genuine commitment to jointly confront drug trafficking and illegal mining on the border, with the same seriousness and determination that Ecuador is demonstrating today," Noboa said.

Petro wrote late Wednesday on his X account that Colombia would respond "in accordance with the principles of reciprocity" to Noboa's announcement.

Glas, who is serving an eight-year sentence related to a 2012-2016 bribery case, is a dual Ecuadorian and Colombian national. In his message, Petro referred to Glas as the "Vice President of the Republic of Ecuador" and compared his situation to political prisoners in Venezuela and Nicaragua, alleging Glas's physical health showed signs of "psychological torture."

The new tariff threatens to disrupt a vital economic link, as Colombia remains one of Ecuador's primary trading partners in the Andean region, exchanging industrial goods, food and consumer products.