US, Ecuador conduct joint military operations against border drug trafficking

The US and Ecuador are conducting joint military operations against drug trafficking in northern Ecuador, near the border with Colombia, as the two countries deepen security cooperation amid escalating violence.

"We are with the seventh group of the United States Army (...). We are working together in the fight against narco-terrorism," Juan Jaramillo, governor of Ecuador's Esmeraldas province, said on Wednesday.

The operations are part of the "Shield of the Americas," a counter-narcotics coalition led by US President Donald Trump and involving around 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Ecuador and the US have been conducting joint military operations for months as Quito seeks to dismantle criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.

The operations are focused in Esmeraldas, a coastal province bordering Colombia that has been heavily affected by killings, kidnappings and extortion linked to drug-trafficking groups.

Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo announced on Thursday the arrival of two US warships and three Black Hawk helicopters to support operations in maritime areas and coastal cities.

The expanded cooperation comes as Ecuador this week issued a decree allowing US military personnel to remain in the country for up to 180 days without visas and granting them immigration immunity.

Ecuador recorded a homicide rate of 52 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, a record level, as criminal groups compete for control of drug-trafficking routes.

In a 2025 referendum, Ecuadorians rejected a proposal to allow foreign military bases in the country. Despite the result, Noboa's government has continued to strengthen security ties with Washington in its fight against criminal groups.