{"id":1806108,"date":"2026-03-04T12:15:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T09:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1806108"},"modified":"2026-03-04T12:15:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T09:15:31","slug":"how-europe-became-addicted-to-cocaine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1806108","title":{"rendered":"How Europe became addicted to cocaine"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75742108_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/59mhd<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Ecuador is a considered a key port for cocaine produced in Latin America and shipped to the US and EuropeImage: Gerardo Menoscal\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it started joint operations with Ecuador<\/a> on Tuesday to combat drug trafficking being carried out by “designated terrorist organizations.”<\/p>\n

“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Ecuador’s Defense Ministry confirmed the operations were taking place, but did not share further “classified” details.<\/p>\n

In September, the US designated the Ecuadorian drug gangs\u00a0Los Choneros and Los Lobos as “foreign terrorist organizations.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why are the US and Ecuador joining forces against drugs?<\/h2>\n

The operations with Ecuador come as the US continues to crack down<\/a> on illicit drug production originating in Latin America<\/a>, which has included strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa<\/a>, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said on Monday that Ecuador<\/a> was “embarking on a new phase in the fight against narco-terrorism.”<\/p>\n

Noaba made the remarks after holding talks in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, with SOUTHCOM’s leadership.<\/p>\n

Since right-wing Noboa came to power in 2023, the US and Ecuador have taken steps to boost security cooperation.<\/p>\n

Noboa’s office said in a statement that the meeting with SOUTHCOM officials included plans for information sharing and operational coordination at airports and seaports.<\/p>\n

Ecuador is seen<\/a> as a transit country for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, which is smuggled through ports into the US and Europe. The drug trade has also unleashed a violent turf war<\/a> in Ecuador between rival smuggling groups.<\/p>\n

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How Europe became addicted to cocaine<\/h2>\n

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The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it started joint operations with Ecuador<\/a> on Tuesday to combat drug trafficking being carried out by “designated terrorist organizations.”<\/p>\n

“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Ecuador’s Defense Ministry confirmed the operations were taking place, but did not share further “classified” details.<\/p>\n

In September, the US designated the Ecuadorian drug gangs\u00a0Los Choneros and Los Lobos as “foreign terrorist organizations.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why are the US and Ecuador joining forces against drugs?<\/h2>\n

The operations with Ecuador come as the US continues to crack down<\/a> on illicit drug production originating in Latin America<\/a>, which has included strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa<\/a>, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said on Monday that Ecuador<\/a> was “embarking on a new phase in the fight against narco-terrorism.”<\/p>\n

Noaba made the remarks after holding talks in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, with SOUTHCOM’s leadership.<\/p>\n

Since right-wing Noboa came to power in 2023, the US and Ecuador have taken steps to boost security cooperation.<\/p>\n

Noboa’s office said in a statement that the meeting with SOUTHCOM officials included plans for information sharing and operational coordination at airports and seaports.<\/p>\n

Ecuador is seen<\/a> as a transit country for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, which is smuggled through ports into the US and Europe. The drug trade has also unleashed a violent turf war<\/a> in Ecuador between rival smuggling groups.<\/p>\n

\n

How Europe became addicted to cocaine<\/h2>\n

The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it started joint operations with Ecuador<\/a> on Tuesday to combat drug trafficking being carried out by “designated terrorist organizations.”<\/p>\n

“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Ecuador’s Defense Ministry confirmed the operations were taking place, but did not share further “classified” details.<\/p>\n

In September, the US designated the Ecuadorian drug gangs\u00a0Los Choneros and Los Lobos as “foreign terrorist organizations.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The operations with Ecuador come as the US continues to crack down<\/a> on illicit drug production originating in Latin America<\/a>, which has included strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa<\/a>, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said on Monday that Ecuador<\/a> was “embarking on a new phase in the fight against narco-terrorism.”<\/p>\n

Noaba made the remarks after holding talks in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, with SOUTHCOM’s leadership.<\/p>\n

Since right-wing Noboa came to power in 2023, the US and Ecuador have taken steps to boost security cooperation.<\/p>\n

Noboa’s office said in a statement that the meeting with SOUTHCOM officials included plans for information sharing and operational coordination at airports and seaports.<\/p>\n

Ecuador is seen<\/a> as a transit country for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, which is smuggled through ports into the US and Europe. The drug trade has also unleashed a violent turf war<\/a> in Ecuador between rival smuggling groups.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-ecuador-launch-joint-anti-drug-operation\/a-76213849″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75742108_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/59mhd Ecuador is a considered a key port for cocaine produced in Latin America and shipped to the US and EuropeImage: Gerardo Menoscal\/AFP The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it started joint operations with Ecuador on Tuesday to combat drug trafficking being carried out by “designated terrorist organizations.” “The operations are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1806108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1806108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1806108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1806108\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1806108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1806108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1806108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}