Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
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The government handed over 230 new patrol vehicles in Machala this week, bringing the 2026 total to 420. The $21.3 million purchase was funded by private-sector contributions under Ecuador's security law.
National Police executed Operation Apolo 19 in Quito's Quitumbe district on April 17, arresting 30 people across Guamaní, Turubamba, Chillogallo, La Ecuatoriana, and Las Cuadras. 53 officers participated. Seizures included 1 firearm, 20 bladed weapons, 14 detonators, 58 rounds of ammunition, 1.5 kg of cocaine, and 11 stolen vehicles.
A 16-person fuel trafficking ring operating across six provinces since October 2024 has been dismantled. Three active-duty military members, five police officers, and eight civilians were detained. A judge has ordered preventive detention for 15 of them on charges tied to hydrocarbon diversion and support for criminal organizations.
Ecuador's military intercepted $50,540 in counterfeit $20 bills at Quito's Carcelén bus terminal on Sunday, April 12. The fakes — more than 5,000 bills — were handed to the National Police. Worth knowing if you handle dollar cash in Ecuador.
President Noboa said Ecuador would welcome US military troops to fight organized crime, provided they operate under Ecuadorian Armed Forces command. Joint operations are already underway, including Pacific naval exercises with the USS Nimitz and a border strike against Comandos de la Frontera.
After Colombia's President Petro asked Noboa to release former Vice President Jorge Glas during a meeting in the Galápagos, Ecuador's government pushed back hard — rejecting the 'political prisoners' framing and affirming that Glas is detained for corruption, not politics.
President Noboa signed Decreto 353 on April 2, declaring a 60-day state of exception across nine provinces and four cantons. Warrantless searches are now legal in affected areas, though no curfew has been imposed. Expats in Pichincha, Guayas, Manabi, and other covered provinces should understand what rights have been suspended.
Ecuador's Interior Ministry reports a 28% decline in homicides for March 2026, alongside 4,300 arrests and 2,200 warrants executed. The numbers represent real progress, but the baseline is staggering: 2025 saw 9,216 homicides, making Ecuador one of the deadliest countries in Latin America.
Ecuador became the first Latin American country to sign a security cooperation agreement with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency. Published in the Official Register on March 30, the deal enables joint operations against transnational organized crime and has already produced results -- including the dismantling of a cocaine network tied to Los Lobos and Albanian criminal organizations.
Police K-9 units intercepted nearly 22,000 dried shark fins weighing 1,905 kilograms at Guayaquil's Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport on April 2. The shipment -- 75 bundles disguised as fish bladders -- was bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is one of Ecuador's largest shark fin seizures in recent years.
U.S.-Ecuador joint military operations under Operation Southern Spear have drawn international scrutiny after an NYT investigation revealed a promoted 'drug camp' strike actually hit a dairy farm. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has raised concerns about military abuses under repeated states of emergency.
Ecuador's government announced intentional homicides dropped 28% in March 2026 year-over-year, following a two-week nightly curfew in four provinces. The curfew provinces -- Guayas, Los Rios, El Oro, and Santo Domingo -- are not major expat areas, but the security trend is nationally significant.
