Members of the Ecuadorian Army began to deploy in Guayaquil in June to four of Ecuador’s most violent provinces to bolster operations against organized crime after President Daniel Noboa declared a new state of emergency in nearly half the country, File Photo by Jonathan Miranda/EPA
Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Ecuador's Defense Ministry said it is conducting joint military operations with the U.S. Southern Command against drug cartels near the border with Colombia.
The operations are concentrated primarily in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, which has been plagued by killings, kidnappings and extortion by drug trafficking groups that use Pacific ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.
Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo confirmed the arrival of three Black Hawk helicopters and two U.S. warships at the port of Manta as part of an effort to triple maritime patrol capabilities against drug-running boats.
"We are going to triple our interdiction capabilities in the maritime zone," Loffredo said in a video posted on X with military-style music playing in the background.
