Ecuador Launches the Region’s Latest Drug War
Foreign PolicyJan 11
Ecuador: Police Arrest Dozens who Stormed Hospital
The Facts
Ecuadorian police have arrested 68 men who tried to seize control of a hospital in the town of Yaguachi, Guayas province, on Sunday. They were reportedly intending to protect a member of their gang receiving treatment for gunshot wounds, although the individual eventually succumbed to the injuries.
Also on the weekend, maritime authorities — in coordination with the Colombian Navy — captured a 15-meter-long semi-submersible off the coast of the northern province of Esmeraldas ,which was carrying an estimate of $50M in cocaine. Three Colombian nationals were also arrested.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though past efforts to improve things in Latin America have failed, this latest crackdown on criminal gangs may be more successful as, this time, there's broad public support for state actions and neighboring countries. In this context, cooperation with the US to gather information may prove crucial for this push to be successful, as financial activities that fund organized crime must be tackled.
Establishment-critical narrative
Under the pretext of combating international drug trafficking, Noboa is dangerously treading the same failed path that Colombia did with the US-backed Plan Colombia in 1999. Instead of ceding its own sovereignty to Washington — whose sole interest in South America is to expand its own influence — Ecuador needs to establish truth and justice.
Nerd narrative
There is a 20% chance that there will be a successful coup d'etat in Ecuador before 2040, according to the Metaculus prediction community.