Ecuador: A Country at War with the Narcos

Long considered a haven of peace in Latin America, Ecuador today is facing an unprecedented wave of violence. Prison riots, hostage-taking on live television and homicides by the thousands: the country is now in a ‘state of war’ against the narcos.

The country is at the heart of international cocaine trafficking. To cope with the cartels’ stranglehold, the 36-year-old President Daniel Noboa has declared a state of emergency. We obtained exceptional authorization to follow the extraordinary operations of the police and army. Today, the entire state is mobilized to restore calm and order. But will this be enough?

In Guayaquil, the country’s economic capital and largest port, the entire city is under cartel control. Amid containers full of bananas, we followed the army’s operations to track down the cocaine. The battle is also being waged in the prisons, which have been held by the Narcos for years. Our journalists were able to enter the high-security section of the Guayaquil prison. It was from here that Fito, leader of the “Choneros”, the country’s most powerful gang, escaped.

In this all-out war against the Narcos, politicians and judges are on the front line. Luis Chonillo, the mayor of Guayaquil, has survived nine attacks. He is now permanently escorted by some twenty armed men, and his family has taken refuge in the United States. In spite of this, he refuses to abandon the inhabitants of his commune to corruption and gangs. Heidy Borja, a young magistrate, also faces threats and a lack of resources. At the Guayaquil court, she courageously leads her fight against organized crime.