Ecuador Launches Military Offensive Against Drug Gangs with 75,000 Troops

Mon Mar 16 2026 22:00:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In a significant response to escalating violence, Ecuador deploys over 75,000 soldiers and police to combat drug trafficking gangs, alongside a nighttime curfew in afflicted provinces.

Ecuador's government has initiated a large-scale military operation against criminal gangs, deploying more than 75,000 soldiers and police to four provinces facing severe violence. This move comes as part of President Daniel Noboa's efforts to address a record murder rate and strengthen collaborations with international forces against drug trafficking. A nighttime curfew has also been imposed to enhance security as the government battles the increasing influence of drug cartels.

The Ecuadorean government has deployed more than 75,000 police officers and soldiers to four of the country's most violence-wracked provinces, the interior minister says.

The authorities have also declared a night-time curfew in these areas as part of a new phase in their war on criminal gangs.

Since coming to office in November 2023, President Daniel Noboa has tried to quell drug-related violence, but Ecuador registered a record murder rate in 2025.

Noboa has also joined a US-led alliance of 17 countries aimed at fighting criminal cartels in the Western Hemisphere.

We're at war, Ecuadorean Interior Minister John Reimberg told residents of the provinces of El Oro, Guayas, Los Ríos and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

Don't take any risks, don't go out, stay at home, he added.

Ecuador's geographical location—sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest producers of cocaine—has turned it into a key transit country for the illicit drug.

Around 70% of the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru is estimated to be shipped through Ecuador.

Following the meeting, Noboa posted a photo on social media alongside Trump, emphasizing that the time for drug mafias to cross borders without repercussions had ended.

Despite heavy-handed measures, the murder rate rose by over 30% from 2024 to 2025, illustrating the ongoing challenges faced by Noboa's administration against entrenched criminal organizations.