Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended controversial strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats during a visit to Ecuador on Wednesday, arguing Latin American cartels would “eat these countries alive” if left unchecked. Hours later, the U.S. military confirmed it conducted another deadly strike in the Caribbean Sea. Hailing a new generation of conservative leaders emerging across…
The United States military intercepted and sank a vessel that was allegedly being used to support at-sea drug trafficking by the Ecuadorian criminal organization Los Choneros, officials said on Wednesday. It came after a similar operation on Friday that destroyed another vessel linked to the gang, one of Ecuador’s main drug trafficking and extortion groups….
The U.S. military, in conjunction with Ecuadorian officials, boarded and later sank a vessel on Friday allegedly used as a refueling station for drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Southern Command. The vessel, which was in international waters near Ecuador, was allegedly used as a floating ship-to-ship refueling station for drug…
Washington — The U.S. on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on 15 individuals and entities based in Ecuador, along with 10 vessels, for their roles in an alleged maritime cocaine trafficking operation. According to the Treasury Department, the network — tied to Ecuadorian groups Los Choneros and Los Lobos, both designated by the U.S. as foreign…
Norway’s soccer star Erling Haaland’s face has appeared on billboards, trading cards and television screens, becoming a social media phenomenon for scoring seven goals across four World Cup matches in July. Now, police in Ecuador have found it in an unexpected place – printed on green rectangular packages that made up a stunning cocaine shipment…
Seven charred bodies have been found in a house in southern Ecuador, authorities said, an area of the country under a state of emergency due to rising violence. Ecuador has gone from being one of South America’s safest countries to a cocaine trafficking hub in a few short years, plagued by gangs with ties to…
