Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Country Program: Ecuador

Challenges

Ecuador is a major transit country for drugs and precursor chemicals. Despite sharing porous borders and a contiguous seacoast with two of the world’s largest narcotics producers, Colombia and Peru, there is no evidence that illicit crops are cultivated to any significant degree in Ecuador. The large-scale armed conflict in Colombia complicates drug interdiction on Ecuador’s northern border but drug seizures along the border increased in 2004. Most drugs leave Ecuador by sea. In addition, the southern border facilitates resurgent drug traffic from Peru. These factors, coupled with the acceleration of drug eradication and interdiction programs in neighboring Colombia, contribute to the possibility of Ecuador becoming a drug producer, in addition to its current role as a major drug transit country.

U.S. Counternarcotics Goals

• Strengthen counternarcotics enforcement and military units in northern border areas to improve overall border security and effectiveness of narcotics interdiction operations;
  
• Develop communications networks to improve operational coordination and better exploit drug intelligence;
  
• Develop institutional capabilities to interdict illegal drugs and controlled chemicals, prosecute traffickers, and seize illicit drug assets;
  
• Contain the growth of the coca/cocaine economy;
  
• Increase licit income and employment opportunities; and
  
• Increase citizen satisfaction with the performance of local democratic institutions.

U.S. Programs

Ecuador faces an increasing threat to its internal stability due to spillover effects from Colombia. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) drug law enforcement project supports the efforts of the Ecuadorian National Police (ENP) to strengthen its presence on the northern border with new checkpoints at strategic highway intersections and a more highly-developed police communications network. INL also supports the massive retraining effort needed to enable the ENP to build successful cases for the prosecution of drug traffickers and other criminals under the criminal justice procedural code.

INL assists the ENP in improving their control over cargo transiting Ecuador’s sea and airports, enhancing facilities, equipments and manpower, supporting canine units, and strengthening the seaport joint information coordination center in Guayaquil. In addition, INL counternarcotics assistance to the Ecuadorian military strengthens their capacity to provide security in northern border areas and to improve coordination and logistical cooperation with the ENP.

USAID has been working intensively with Ecuador to support alternative, licit production options that will create a barrier along the vulnerable northern border which has increasingly provided direct support for illicit activities based in Colombia. INL, through USAID, has engaged the International Organization for Migration in supporting a chain of community infrastructure projects across the northern border.