Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
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Ecuador and the United States signed a border-security implementation letter on June 22 to coordinate against transnational crime, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other border-zone threats.
The Cangrejos project, ranked 13th among the world's largest undeveloped gold deposits, gets a 26-year exploitation contract. Chinese-backed Odin Mining will invest $1.6 billion and generate 1,168 jobs. The government expects $6 billion in total revenue.
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.
At a high-level meeting in Quito, Ecuador formally asked Paraguay to classify Los Choneros, Los Lobos, Los Tiguerones, Chone Killers, and Latin Kings as terrorist organizations. Paraguay's response was non-conclusive. A Paraguayan presidential visit is scheduled for July, with a follow-up coordination meeting in Asunción on September 2.
President Noboa signed Decree 353 on April 2, declaring a 60-day state of emergency across 9 provinces and 4 additional cantons. Unlike the previous emergency that ended March 30, this renewal does not include a curfew -- but it does authorize police raids and suspends home inviolability in affected areas.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established its first permanent office in Ecuador, operating out of the U.S. Embassy in Quito. The office will focus on counter-narcotics intelligence, transnational crime, and cybercrime affecting both nations.
Ecuadorian journalist Jose Vinces was lured to a location under the pretense of investigating a tip and shot by unidentified assailants. The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the attack as part of a disturbing pattern of violence against press in Ecuador.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador of dropping bombs inside Colombia, claiming 27 charred bodies were found near the border. Ecuador's Noboa flatly denied it. The neighbors are now in their worst diplomatic crisis in years — and it's affecting everything from electricity to trade.
Angel Esteban Aguilar, known as 'Lobo Menor' and alleged mastermind behind the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was arrested at Mexico City's airport using a fake Colombian passport. He's been extradited to Colombia.
Ecuador's Superintendency of Companies ordered an external administrator installed at Granasa, publisher of two of the country's largest newspapers, after the company refused to hand over internal legal records. The Inter-American Press Society called it 'an intimidating act' of indirect censorship.
Ecuador’s second-largest city lost its mayor. Aquiles Alvarez was ordered into preventive detention on organized crime and fuel trafficking charges as part of the ‘Caso Goleada’ investigation. He was transferred to Latacunga prison — 11 others arrested across Guayas province.
Ecuador's Valley of Longevity earned its spot in the national Pueblos Mágicos program. With Carnival weekend coming, it's one of the best quiet getaways in the country — horseback riding, waterfalls, 140+ bird species, and nobody throwing water balloons at you.
