Ecuador, a country long considered one of South America’s safest and most stable democracies, has experienced a dramatic transformation in recent years. The small Andean nation has become engulfed in a security crisis that has shocked its citizens and alarmed international observers. Understanding how Ecuador arrived at this dangerous juncture requires examining the confluence of factors that dismantled its once-peaceful society.
For decades, Ecuador maintained a reputation as a tranquil haven sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, two countries with their own histories of violence and instability. Tourists flocked to the Galápagos Islands and Quito’s colonial center with little concern for personal safety. The homicide rate remained relatively low compared to regional neighbors, and violent crime was not a defining characteristic of Ecuadorian life. This stability began to unravel in the late 2010s, but the pace of deterioration accelerated dramatically after 2020.
The transformation stems largely from Ecuador’s inadvertent evolution into a crucial node in the international cocaine trade. While Ecuador doesn’t produce significant quantities of coca, its geographic position between Peru and Colombia, two of the world’s largest cocaine producers, made it an increasingly attractive transit point. The country’s extensive Pacific coastline, with numerous ports and less-developed coastal areas, offered drug trafficking organizations convenient routes to move cocaine toward lucrative markets in the United States and Europe.
The port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest and most economically important urban center, became the epicenter of this transformation. Its port handles the vast majority of Ecuador’s maritime trade, including enormous volumes of legitimate exports like bananas, shrimp, and flowers. These legal exports provided perfect cover for criminal organizations seeking to smuggle cocaine in shipping containers. The volume of trade moving through Guayaquil made it nearly impossible for authorities to inspect every shipment, creating opportunities that trafficking networks were quick to exploit.
As cocaine transit through Ecuador increased, something predictable yet devastating occurred. International drug trafficking organizations began establishing more permanent operations within the country rather than simply using it as a pass-through point. Mexican cartels, particularly the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, forged alliances with local criminal groups or established their own cells. These organizations brought with them the brutal tactics that had already devastated parts of Mexico and Central America.
The fragmentation of larger criminal organizations created an even more volatile situation. Rather than one or two dominant groups maintaining a certain order through their monopoly on violence, Ecuador saw the emergence of numerous competing factions fighting for control of drug routes, port access, and urban territories. Groups with names like Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and Tiguerones became household names as they waged increasingly brazen warfare against each other and against the state.
Ecuador’s prison system became both a symbol and an accelerant of the broader security collapse. Overcrowded and underfunded, with inadequate security measures and rampant corruption, prisons transformed into command centers where gang leaders continued directing criminal operations. Prison massacres became horrifyingly common, with rival gangs executing coordinated attacks that left dozens dead in single incidents. Images of decapitated bodies and inmates burned alive shocked the nation and demonstrated the state’s loss of control even within its own correctional facilities.
The violence spilled far beyond prison walls and into everyday life. Homicide rates skyrocketed. Ecuador’s murder rate, which stood at around six per hundred thousand inhabitants in 2018, more than quadrupled by 2023, reaching levels comparable to some of the most violent countries in the region. Cities that had once been peaceful saw regular gun battles, car bombings, and assassinations. Guayaquil’s streets became particularly dangerous, with extortion rackets targeting businesses and residents living in constant fear.
The state’s response proved inadequate for multiple reasons. Ecuador’s security forces, including both police and military, were simply unprepared for the scale and sophistication of the criminal organizations they suddenly faced. Years of relative peace meant that Ecuador had not developed the specialized capabilities or institutional structures necessary to combat organized crime effectively. Corruption within security institutions further undermined enforcement efforts, with criminals often able to buy protection or advance warning of operations.
Political instability compounded the security crisis. Ecuador experienced significant political turbulence, including the impeachment of presidents and constant tensions between the executive and legislative branches. This dysfunction made it difficult to implement coherent security strategies or maintain consistent policies. Each new government promised to restore order, but the violence continued to escalate regardless of who occupied the presidential palace.
The situation reached a critical point in early 2023 when gang violence surged to unprecedented levels. The assassination of a presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, in August 2023 demonstrated that criminal groups felt bold enough to directly attack the political system itself. Villavicencio had been vocal about fighting corruption and organized crime, and his murder in broad daylight sent a chilling message about the limits of state authority.
President Daniel Noboa, who took office in November 2023, declared an “internal armed conflict” in early 2024 after gangs stormed a television station during a live broadcast and carried out coordinated attacks across the country. This extraordinary declaration effectively acknowledged that Ecuador was at war with criminal organizations within its own borders. The military was deployed to the streets and given expanded powers to combat what the government now officially designated as terrorist organizations.
The economic consequences of the security breakdown have been severe. Foreign investment has declined as companies reassess the risks of operating in Ecuador. Tourism, once a significant source of revenue and employment, has suffered as international travelers reconsider visiting a country regularly featured in headlines about violence. Businesses face extortion demands, and many have closed or relocated. The cost of security measures, both for the government and private sector, has diverted resources from productive investments.
The social fabric of Ecuadorian society has frayed under the strain of constant insecurity. Families that once walked freely through their neighborhoods now stay indoors after dark. Children’s routines are constrained by safety concerns. The psychological toll of living with persistent violence affects mental health and social cohesion. Trust in institutions has eroded as citizens question whether their government can protect them.
Ecuador’s experience illustrates how quickly stability can unravel when multiple vulnerabilities converge. Geographic location, weak institutions, political dysfunction, and the insatiable appetite for cocaine in wealthy nations created conditions that criminal organizations exploited ruthlessly. What began as a gradual increase in drug transit metastasized into a full-blown security crisis that has fundamentally altered life in what was once one of South America’s most peaceful countries.
The path forward remains uncertain. Restoring security will require sustained effort across multiple fronts, including strengthening law enforcement and judicial institutions, addressing prison conditions, combating corruption, improving intelligence capabilities, and maintaining political consensus around security priorities. International cooperation will be essential given the transnational nature of the criminal networks operating in Ecuador. Whether Ecuador can reverse its descent into violence or whether this represents a new and enduring reality remains one of the most pressing questions facing the nation and the region.
