March 10 (UPI) -- Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa defended stronger military cooperation with the United States to combat drug trafficking, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro questioned the effectiveness of decades of drug prohibition policies, reflecting a growing regional debate over how to address the problem.
In an interview with N+ Univision about Saturday's regional security summit near Miami and known as "Shield of the Americas," Noboa said Ecuador faces increasing pressure from drug trafficking networks that use the country as a transit point to international markets.
"More than 70% of the drug that enters Ecuador comes from Colombia," Noboa said.
Ecuador is not a cocaine-producing country, but in recent years it has become one of the main routes for drugs heading to the United States and Europe because of its Pacific ports and its location between Colombia and Peru, the two largest cocaine producers in the world.
Noboa also said some criminal networks that operate in the region maintain links with international militant organizations.
