Ecuador, a nation once celebrated for its peaceful reputation, is now locked in an escalating battle against brutal drug-linked gangs that have thrown the country into chaos. In recent months, violent organized crime connected to international drug trafficking has exploded across the nation, leaving a trail of death, fear, and instability that has forced security forces to adopt aggressive frontline strategies to regain control.
BBC correspondent Orla Guerin recently gained exclusive access to accompany Ecuador’s national police on one of their regular patrols through territories that have become the epicenter of the country’s drug war, offering a rare on-the-ground look at the risks officers face every day. The patrol routes wind through neighborhoods where gang influence runs deep, and where police face constant threats of ambushes, targeted attacks, and open confrontations with heavily armed criminal groups.
According to senior police officers Guerin spoke with during the patrol, the force has seen its workload skyrocket as drug crime surges. Gangs fighting over control of key smuggling routes to Europe and North America have engaged in daily street clashes, mass prison riots, and targeted assassinations of public officials, journalists, and rival gang members. The rapid growth of the crisis has stretched police resources thin, leaving officers under-equipped and overstretched even as they work around the clock to push back against criminal expansion.
Despite the constant danger, officers told Guerin they remain committed to reclaiming communities from gang control. The patrol Guerin joined stopped at multiple checkpoints, searched vehicles for weapons and drug shipments, and conducted targeted stop-and-searches of individuals matching suspect descriptions. Each step of the operation was carried out with heightened vigilance, a reflection of the ever-present risk that any routine stop could turn violent.
The on-the-ground reporting underscores the depth of Ecuador’s current security emergency: what began as small-scale local gang activity has evolved into a full-blown drug conflict that threatens the country’s long-term stability, and challenges police to find new ways to stem the tide of violence.